Texas is top wind generator in the US
London, 3 April: Texas retains its title as the state with the most installed wind power in the US, according to figures released yesterday by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

The state installed 1,708MW of wind power last year, increasing total capacity from 2,739MW at the end of 2006 to 4,446MW at the end of 2007. California stayed in second place, finishing the year with 2,439MW of installed capacity – despite adding only 63MW in the previous 12 months, followed by Minnesota and Iowa.

However, Iowa sources the highest percentage of its electricity from wind power of any state, at 5.5%. Despite the strong growth in production in Texas, wind only makes up 2.0% of the electricity mix in the ‘lone star state’. Nationwide, wind capacity ended the year at 16,800MW in total, up from 11,600MW in 2006.

FLP Energy is the top ‘managing owner’ of wind capacity in the US, with 5,077MW installed, followed by Spanish utility Iberdrola, with 1,645MW. GE Energy holds the biggest market share of wind turbine installations in the country, putting 1,560 of their machines in the ground over the year, followed by Vestas at 537 machines. However, Vestas supplied the biggest turbines – at 3MW each in California and Texas.

The report digs into figures on installations by investor-owned utilities and public-owned utilities and the congressional districts with the most installed wind power.

However, the trade association warned that the stable growth of wind power in recent years has been due to the renewal of a production tax credit (PTC) granted to renewable generators. The AWEA says that if it is not renewed again, it will place $19 billion of investment and 116,000 jobs in the US at risk.

Randall Swisher, executive director of the AWEA, said: “The numbers in this year’s rankings … underscore the wind energy industry’s strong growth and the fact that wind is a bright spot in the US economy. Hopefully, federal policy-makers will take note and move quickly to extend the wind PTC incentive, providing the foundation for further investment and job creation going forward.”