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Wind power in Illinois
Electricity from wind in one U.S. state From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wind power in Illinois provided nearly 10% of the state's generated electrical power in 2020 powering 1,231,900 homes.[1] At the end of 2020, Illinois had 6,300 megawatts (MW) of wind power installed, ranking fifth among states for installed wind turbine capacity.[2] An additional 1,100 MW of wind power was under construction across the state at the end of 2020.

The vast majority of wind-generated electricity in Illinois is distributed via Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which services Illinois outside of northern Illinois—as opposed to PJM Interconnection, which distributes electricity in the Chicago metropolitan area.[3]
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Wind power has been supported by a renewable portfolio standard, passed in 2007, and strengthened in 2009, which requires 10% renewable energy from electric companies by 2010 and 25% by 2025.[4] For 2013, in-state renewable generation was just 5.1% of Illinois' total generation.[5] Additional renewably generated electricity is imported from other states.[6] Illinois uses a large amount of electricity, and the state's mandate was enacted when only a very small percentage of its electricity was renewably generated.
Illinois has the potential for installing up to an estimated 249,882 MW of wind generation capacity at a hub height of 80 meters operating at 30% gross capacity factor.[7][8] That amount is lower with higher capacity factors and is higher with 100 meter hub heights.[8]
The first wind farm in Illinois opened in 2003 and by 2009, it had over 1800 MW installed statewide with thousands of MW more in the planning stages.[9] The largest wind farm in the state is the 300 MW Cayuga Ridge installation, while another seven windfarms each exceeded MW capacity.[3] The Twin Groves Wind Farm was the largest wind farm east of the Mississippi when completed but has since been surpassed.[10][11] Some smaller installations include a 0.66 MW turbine at the Bureau Valley School District and a 2.5 MW turbine at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, formerly part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, now part of the University of Illinois.[3] A proposed high voltage DC transmission line would transmit wind generated electrical power to the Chicago area from northwest Iowa.[12]
Power from some wind farms in Illinois is sold to the Tennessee Valley Authority. A 2010 agreement with Iberdrola Renewables provides a potential 300MW future supply from the Streator Cayuga Ridge Wind Farm in Livingston County.[13]
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Wind generation
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Teal background indicates the largest wind generation month for the year.
Green background indicates the largest wind generation month to date.
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Net Generation for Wind, Monthly[21] |
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Net Generation for Wind, Monthly[22] |
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Megawatts of Installed Generating Capacity[24][25][26][27] |
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