Texas has the most installed turbines of any US state with more than 13,000, totalling over 24GW, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
As of the beginning of 2019, 41 states had at least one installed wind turbine.
Second was Iowa with 8.3GW with 5000 turbines installed. Third was Oklahoma with 8.1GW installed with 3966 machines installed.
Based on data in the EIA’s Annual Electric Generator Inventory, the earliest US wind turbines still operating were installed in California in July 1975.
Despite having the second most installed wind turbines, California accounts for only 6.1GW of total installed capacity, fourth among the states.
In 2018, California reduced its number of turbines but still increased its wind capacity by repowering to improve efficiency.
Although California has the oldest operable turbine (44 years), Tennessee has, on average, the oldest operating wind turbines, with an average project age of 17 years.
California, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Arkansas round out the top five states in terms of oldest project ages, from an average 16 years old in California to an average 12 years old in Arkansas.
The EIA observed that wind turbine hub heights have also increased over time because turbine blades have gotten longer.
Turbines with longer blades and a greater rotor diameter typically have higher nameplate capacity.
Older turbines, such as those in California or Tennessee, generally are shorter and have shorter blades than newer turbines, which have higher hub heights to accommodate longer blades, the EIA stated.