All I know is there are a LOT of wind gens in Illinois.
Wind Projects in Illinois
Installed Wind Capacity: 3,568 megawatts (MW). State Rank:Illinois ranks 4th for total MW installed
Number of Wind Turbines:2,195 turbines. State Rank: Illinois ranks 4th for number of utility-scale wind turbines
Wind Projects Online: 46 wind projects
Wind Capacity Added in 2012:823.3 MW. State Rank: Illinois added the 5th most new capacity during 2012
Wind Capacity Added in 2011:692.5 MW
Current Wind Generation
Percentage of Illinois' electricity provided by wind in 2012: 3.9 percent
Equivalent number of homes Illinois wind farms now power: over 1,000,000 average Illinoisan homes
Wind Generation Potential
According to data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Illinois' onshore wind potential at 80 meters hub height is 249,882 MW. State Rank: Illinois has the 15th best wind resource in the U.S
This means that wind power is capable of meeting more than 5.2 times the state's current electricity needs
The state has transmission connections to both the PJM and MISO regional power grids, and strong wind resources near big cities such as Chicago, Springfield, Bloomington, Joliet and Champaign-Urbana
Jobs & Economic BenefitsAn investment in wind power is an investment in jobs, including jobs in operations and maintenance, construction, manufacturing and many support sectors. In addition, wind power projects produce lease payment for landowners and increase the tax base of communities.
Total direct and indirect jobs support in 2012: 6,001-7000. State Rank: Illinois ranks 4th for number of wind-related jobs
Capital investment: over $7.2 billion dollars
Annual land lease payments: over $10,975,000
Wind-Relating ManufacturingThe wind industry has over 550 manufacturing facilities producing products for the wind industry that range from blade, tower and turbine nacelle assembly facilities to raw component suppliers including fiberglass and steel.Illinois has attracted investment from major wind industry players, including tower manufacturer Trinity Structural Towers and gearbox manufacturer Winergy, allowing many smaller manufacturers to get involved in the wind energy supply chain.Environmental Benefits of Wind PowerGenerating wind power creates no emissions and uses virtually no water.
The water consumption savings from wind projects in Illinois total more than 2 billion gallons of water per year
The wind power installed in Illinois will avoid 5,550,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, the equivalent of taking 980,000 cars off the road
State Policy The Illinois state renewable portfolio standard (RPS) was first enacted in 2007, requiring investor-owned electric utilities, and later alternative retail electric suppliers, to generate 25% of their 2025 electricity from renewable resources. It remains one of the strongest state standards in the country, and as other states to the west meet their standards for now, developers have focused more on meeting the Illinois standard.