Indiana and Kentucky Working Toward Alternative Energy Sources
Author: Hannah Strong
According to the United States Energy Information Administration, the average American household uses 10,715 kWh of electricity every year. In 2021 the contiguous United States is estimated to have produced roughly 606,000 GWh of electricity from wind and solar, which is up to 16% of the electricity consumed. Wind energy made up about 73% of that total, according to Climate Central, and both Indiana and Kentucky were part of that energy production. Indiana ranked 7th nationally in wind generation per square mile in 2021. At this time Kentucky does not have "wind energy farms" large enough to add power to the grid. Kentucky does produce solar energy, though. Even as you drive around the greater Louisville area, you have likely seen a few different fields filled with solar panels. Kentucky ranked 41 out of 48 for its production of solar energy per square mile. If you just look at raw output, we are actually 44 out of 48. Looking at those same metrics, both of raw output and of energy produced per square mile, Indiana ranks 19 for its generation of solar energy in 2021.