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While wind energy as a reliable and standard resource may seem far off, the technology is being adopted at record speed. In fact, wind energy is one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
That’s especially true for 2020, a banner year for the wind industry, according to a report by American Clean Power (ACP).
In the fourth quarter of 2020 alone, the U.S. wind industry installed 10,593 megawatts of new wind power capacity—the highest quarter on record. In fact, that’s more wind power capacity installed than in any given year except 2012.
Texas led with 2,197 megawatts installed, followed by Wyoming with 895 megawatts, Oklahoma with 866 megawatts, Iowa with 861 megawatts, and Missouri with 786 megawatts.
Who is investing in all of this wind? Developers commissioned 16,913 megawatts, representing an 85% increase over 2019. Project owners commissioned 54 new projects across 20 states in the fourth quarter.
This rapidly accelerating trend is being driven by a combination of increased policy initiatives, more scalable technologies, increased demand from corporate and residential customers alike, and more positive customer perception overall. The Biden Administration’s climate plan, for example, includes the ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2035. To achieve that, renewables like wind energy will need to become increasingly less fringe as they move to permanently replace fossil fuel power.
What is wind energy?
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The information and data are as of the November 17, 2020 (publish date) unless otherwise noted and subject to change. This blog is sponsored by Magnifi.
