While many states struggle to adopt clean energy, South Dakota has quietly become a renewable energy powerhouse. The state now gets about 77% of its power from non-fossil fuel sources, mainly water and wind. It’s among the top three states nationally for renewable energy production.
The transformation has been dramatic. Back in 2009, South Dakota had just 190 wind turbines producing 350 megawatts of electricity. Today, the state has 1,417 turbines generating approximately 3,600 megawatts. That’s a tenfold increase in wind energy production over 15 years. The state has also installed solar capacity that now powers thousands of homes across South Dakota.
This green energy boom has created thousands of jobs across the state. Workers are needed to install and maintain turbines, work in manufacturing plants, and manage supply chains. The Marmen Energy plant in Brandon shows how manufacturing has benefited. Nearly 300 people work there building wind turbine towers. They produce about 1,000 tower sections each year using American steel.
“These are good-paying jobs,” the plant manager said about the positions at their facility. The towers they make get shipped throughout the upper Midwest. Technical colleges report 100% job placement rates for their energy program graduates. South Dakota’s renewable sector mirrors the global trend where clean energy jobs are growing twice as fast as the overall economy.
South Dakota’s four hydroelectric power plants on the Missouri River have generated clean electricity since the mid-1950s. The state also has three solar farms, though there aren’t plans for more right now.
The rapid growth has hit a temporary snag. Transmission lines can’t handle all the new energy being produced. Most wind energy made in South Dakota gets sent east to other states. The Public Utilities Commission just approved a new 68-turbine project near Clear Lake that’ll produce 260 megawatts. But without more transmission capacity, expansion will slow down.
Help is coming. Two nonprofit energy groups plan to spend $37 billion improving transmission lines in the upper Midwest over the next decade. This includes South Dakota. Once complete, the state can export even more renewable energy.
Governor Larry Rhoden toured the state in March focusing on economic development and workforce needs. Despite current challenges, the PUC commissioner believes renewable energy’s future remains bright in South Dakota. Growing demand from data centers and other sources will likely create more manufacturing and maintenance jobs.
References
- https://docs.nrel.gov/docs/fy22osti/82216.pdf
- https://www.sdnewswatch.org/renewable-energy-wind-power-electricity-south-dakota/
- https://irecusa.org/south-dakota-solar-and-clean-energy-jobs/
- https://www.bluestemprairie.com/bluestemprairie/2025/05/renewable-energy-industry-driving-new-employment-in-south-dakota.html
- https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-04-01/livable-wages-working-families/for-sd-wind-energy-means-jobs-not-just-spinning-turbines/a96070-1
