Wind power increases to eight per cent of US generating capacity in 2016

• 6 years ago (2017-05-03)
• David Flin

North America 998 Wind 239

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Wind power accounted for eight per cent of total US electricity generating capacity in 2016, according to the latest figures from the federal government’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA said that wind turbines have contributed over a third of the nearly 200 GW of utility-scale power capacity located in just five states: Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, California, and Kansas.

Texas alone accounts for almost a quarter of US wind capacity, delivering 13 per cent of the state’s electricity generation last year, the EIA added. The figures also show that in three states – Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma – wind power makes up at least 25 per cent of in-state, utility-scale generating capacity, as Midwestern regions start to take advantage of favourable wind resources.

Overall, US wind capacity grew significantly from its 4.7 per cent share of new power generation in 2015, and 4.4 per cent in 2014. The EIA said that the upsurge in US wind capacity reflected a “combination of improved wind turbine technology, increased access to transmission capacity, state-level renewable portfolio standards, and federal production tax credits and grants.”

However, as of December 2016, there were still eight US states with no operational utility-scale wind facilities: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Virginia.