Texas Has A New Favorite Energy Source
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Texas Has A New Favorite Energy Source
By Tim Daiss - Apr 17, 2019, 3:00 PM CDT
Wind power capacity in the U.S. increased by 8 percent last year, soaring to an impressive cumulative total of 96.5 gigawatts (GW), the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said in a new report last week. The report said that the industry had emerged from 2018 stronger than ever as it now powers over 30 million American homes, with that amount projected to increase going forward. Wind power last year also brought in an estimated $1 billion in revenue to both state and local coffers. AWEA is the national trade association for the U.S. wind industry and promotes wind energy as a clean source of electricity for American consumers.
Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA, said that wind powers recording-breaking year shows our industry is leading the way to a cleaner, stronger 21st Century U.S. economy. Americas least expensive source of new electricity generation is also clean and inexhaustible, which gives our economy an edge in the global marketplace.
Wind power projections
The AWEA said that wind energy is now reliably providing over 20 percent of the electricity produced in six states (Kansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Maine), while across the whole of the country, U.S. wind-generated 6.5 percent of all electricity delivered to consumers. Going forward, the AWEA projects that more than 35 GW of new wind power capacity will come online across 31 states in the near future. At the same time, the countrys offshore wind industry is also taking off, with six offshore projects amounting to 2.1 GW in development and expected to be operational by 2023. By the end of 2018, project developers had a potential offshore wind pipeline of over 25.5 GW.
Texas takes center stage
Texas, perhaps surprisingly, given its prominent role as the countrys top oil-producing state, led the country last year in wind energy capacity. The state is home to 25 percent of total U.S. wind power capacity and, if it were a country, Texas would rank fifth globally for wind power capacity with nearly 25 GW installed. Texas also had 7 GW worth of projects under construction or in advanced development at the end of last year. Consequently, Texas not only leads the countrys wind industry in terms of capacity but in terms of jobs and investment as well.