Wind energy took the top US renewable power source crown in 2019
April 20, 2020Last year, new turbines brought 9.1 GW online in the country, representing over a third of additions.
Throughout 2019, the US brought 9.1 GW of new wind energy online, making it the top renewable power source in the country that year. It represented 39 percent of new utility-scale energy additions.
With this added alternative energy, American wind capacity has now reached more than 105 GW.
With wind energy generating 105 GW, it has become the leading renewable power source in the country. In fact, turbines supplied over 7 percent of the country’s total electricity last year. This data was released in the “Wind Powers America Annual Report 2019”.
That same report showed that wind energy is employing a record 120,000 people across the United States. There are 530 factories in the country relating to wind energy. Moreover, electricity from these turbines is generating $1.6 billion per year for communities and states that are home to wind farms.
“U.S. wind power has grown significantly over the past decade, as consumers across the country increasingly turn to wind to provide affordable, reliable and clean electricity for their communities,” said American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) CEO Tom Kiernan.
As the leading renewable power source in the US, wind energy has created jobs in every state.
“Years of hard work culminated with wind power becoming America’s largest renewable energy provider in 2019, with a 50-state footprint of job creation and economic development,” said Kiernan. He added that all signs point to further growth across the foreseeable future. He acknowledged that, as is the case in many industries, COVID-19 has presented several meaningful disruptions in this industry. However, they are working hard to mitigate those disruptions and “we know that we will meet these challenges with strong industry momentum.”
Last year represented the third strongest year for the American wind industry. Project developers poured almost $14 billion into new projects involving this renewable energy source, totalling 9,137 MW. In 2019, the US boosted its wind power capacity to 105,591 MW, which was a 9.6 percent increase. Turbines are now operational in 41 states and two US territories.