Climate Central just released their WeatherPower Year in Review report showing which states produced the most wind and solar energy in 2021, and Kentucky and Indiana are both on the list.

Let's establish some baselines to get started. Electricity is discussed in kWh or Kilowatt hours. One kWh is equal to one kilowatt of power sustained for one hour which is 3600 kilojoules (kJ). A kilowatt hour is actually a fairly small measure so we won't use it much here, but it's the building block where these measurements start. One Megawatt hour (MWh) equals 1000 kilowatt hours and one gigawatt hour (GWh) equals one million kilowatt hours. 

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. 

If you are looking for more information on why and how wind and solar energy are harnessed, you can click here to read more from Climate Central.