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Wind Power Capacity Expected to Continue Growth in 2007
Wind power capacity in the U.S. is expected to increase an additional 26 percent in 2007 over the 27 percent increase in 2006.
Wind power capacity in the U.S. is expected to increase an additional 26 percent in 2007 over the 27 percent increase in 2006.
According to an annual market forecast released recently by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), wind’s growth is spurred by strong demand, investment of private capital and support of federal and state governments.
The U.S. wind energy industry installed 2,454 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity in 2006, an investment of approximately $4 billion, billing wind as one of the largest sources of new power generation in the country — second only to natural gas — for the second year in a row, according to AWEA.
Wind energy facilities currently installed in the U.S. will produce an estimated 31 billion kilowatt-hours annually or enough electricity to serve 2.9 million American homes. This will displace approximately 23 million tons of carbon dioxide — the leading greenhouse gas — each year, according to AWEA.
The AWEA industry outlook also finds:
- Texas accounted for nearly a third of the new wind power installed in 2006, taking over the lead from California in cumulative installed capacity.
- Much of the new wind equipment in 2006 was produced in new manufacturing facilities in Iowa, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
- New utility-scale turbines were installed in a total of 20 states across the country.
- The top five states in new installations were Texas (774 MW), Washington (428 MW), California (212 MW), New York (185 MW) and Minnesota (150 MW).
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