page_title: Wind power in Pennsylvania
section_title: Installed capacity and wind resources
hierarchical_section_title: Wind power in Pennsylvania / Installed capacity and wind resources
context_page_description: There are more than twenty wind power projects operating in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The most productive wind energy regions generally fall in mountain or coastal terrains. The northern portion of the Appalachian chain, including most of Southwestern Pennsylvania, is one of the areas with the highest potential for wind energy in the Eastern United States. The mountain ridges of central and northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Poconos in the eastern part of the state, offer some of the best wind resources in the region.
  If all wind energy potential in Pennsylvania was developed with utility-scale wind turbines, the power produced each year would be enough to supply 6.4% of the state's current electricity consumption. In 2016 the state had 1369 megawatts of wind powered electricity generating capacity, responsible for 1.6% of in-state electricity production. This increased to 1459 MW in 2019.
context_section_description: The graph at left shows the end of year wind generation capacity growth from 2002 through 2018.
  In a 2010 report, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory stated that Pennsylvania had potential to install up to about 3,300 MW of onshore wind power nameplate capacity at 80m, which would generate enough clean power annually to meet the energy needs of 1,168,000 homes, or 7,200 MW at 100m, capable of generating 21,200 GWh/year.
  Despite the state's limited shoreline, on Lake Erie, Pennsylvania has the potential to install up to 5,670 MW of offshore wind turbines in an area of 1,135 square kilometres (438 sq mi), capable of generating 23,571 GWh/year. Offshore wind turbines tend to have a higher capacity factor than onshore wind turbines.
caption: 2010 wind power density map for Pennsylvania at 80m above ground
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