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South Dakota Wind Energy Potential
South Dakota ranks in the top five states for wind energy potential. In a recent study, South Dakota was estimated to have the potential to produce more than 3 million gigawatt-hours of energy on annual basis. If this entire wind energy potential of South Dakota was harnessed, it would be nearly enough to provide power for the entire United States. While it is not feasible to harness every breeze, wind farms in the state have reported higher than industry standard capacity factors, which means the quality of South Dakota wind is high. This wind resource map shows how the wind is classified throughout South Dakota. NREL has also developed a wind resource map for South Dakota's tribal lands.
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