Between Wind and Water: Trade-offs of Irrigation and Wind Projects

Steven M. Smith and Daniel Cooley

Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 2025, vol. 12, issue 1, 105 - 144

Abstract: Development of the abundant wind energy across the Great Plains of the United States has been relatively slow. We present a novel factor for the lag: the Ogallala Aquifer. Trade-offs between colocated natural resources are complicated by incongruencies between the scale and technology associated with each. This study considers how irrigation, especially by center pivots, has affected wind power generation. To study the relationship, we combine data on wind projects with center pivot locations derived from a deep learning model using satellite imagery. We find that center pivot fields are 64% less likely to have a wind turbine, and wind projects nearer to center pivots produce 26% less electricity, potentially due to turbine placement that minimizes interference with center pivots or irrigation’s microclimate effects on wind. This tension in the food-energy-water nexus can be exacerbated or ameliorated by policy choices.

Date: 2025
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