Researchers study potential for wind generated power

(Tulsa-AP) -- Researchers from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are studying the feasibility of using wind to produce electricity in the state.

Project director Tim Hughes calls it an investment opportunity, saying landowners in Iowa are averaging two-thousand dollars a year in royalties for wind turbines.

He says the average wind speed in parts of the state is 12 to 13 miles per hour, ranking Oklahoma eighth in potential energy from wind.

Not everyone is convinced, though. Oklahoma Gas and Electric has considered wind power several times.

O-G-and-E spokesman Paul Renfrow says the winds may not be strong enough to generate power during the summer, when the demand for electricity is high.

Prime sites for wind farms are in the Panhandle and northwest Oklahoma.