September 26, 2024 at 10:56 AM Comments It’s also a misrepresentation of why that is. ADVERTISEMENT First off, for decades South Dakota’s leading source of renewable energy came from the dams on the Missouri River. The power plants for three of those dams sit in the state. The fourth, Gavin’s Point, is in Nebraska. The Fort Randall Dam and its 21 spillway gates near Pickstown, South Dakota. Marcus Traxler / Mitchell Republic Hydropower contributed more than half of the state’s total electricity generation in 2019. That dropped to about 20 percent in 2023 due in part to drought conditions, according to the same data cited by the governor. Why is that important in this context? The dams were built, and are operated by, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a.k.a. the federal government. The biggest change in recent years in South Dakota’s renewable energy portfolio is wind, which in 2023 was responsible for three times the electricity as hydropower. The rise of wind in South Dakota has been herky jerky, to be sure. While the proliferation of turbines is significant, and observable while driving north on Interstate 29 and elsewhere, we were not leaders in this regard. It’s been a decades-long journey marked by state government skepticism and the challenges of the electric grid. ADVERTISEMENT It could be reasonably argued that it was government mandates in Minnesota and Iowa that drug the utility companies into the business in a significant way and led to infrastructure improvements that opened eastern South Dakota’s breezy plains to the broader wind market. A variety of federal tax credits over the years didn't hurt. Subscribers Only