US wind demand grew by 8% in 2018, according to a new report published by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
‘US Wind Industry Annual Market Report, Year Ending 2018′ found US wind power generates more than $1bn a year in revenue for states and communities hosting wind farms, and supports 114,000 American jobs, and over 500 domestic factories.
The AWEA released the report at the Greater Houston Partnership. The state of Texas ranked first for installed wind power capacity and wind jobs last year.
According to the association, in 2018 Fortune 500 brands and utilities alike purchased a record amount of new wind energy through long-term contracts, contributing to a growing pipeline of wind capacity under construction or advanced stages of development.
“Wind power’s record-breaking year shows our industry is leading the way to a cleaner, stronger 21st century US economy,” said AWEA chief executive Tom Kiernan.
“America’s least expensive source of new electricity generation is also clean and inexhaustible, which gives our economy an edge in the global marketplace,” he added.
Texas is home to roughly a quarter of all US wind power capacity, with nearly 25GW installed. With nearly 7000 MW of additional wind projects under construction or in advanced development at the end of 2018, Texas is adding more wind than all but two other states currently have installed, according to AWEA’s findings.
Texas is also the top state for direct and indirect wind industry jobs, with more than 25,000 Texans working in the industry.
According to the report wind farms in Texas have drawn over $46bn in total capital investment to date and pay approximately $307 million each year in landowner payments plus state and local taxes.
Wind farms pay $1.05bn a year through state and local taxes plus lease payments to landowners, the most complete picture yet of the value wind farms pay into rural communities, according to AWEA’s report.
To arrive at $1bn, the association quantified the never-before reported $761 million a year paid by wind farms in state and local taxes that help communities improve their school systems, fix roads and fund emergency services.
AWEA found an additional $289 million a year in wind farm land lease payments serve as a “valuable drought-proof cash crop for American farmers and ranchers that can help keep a farm in the family.”
Most of the revenues go to rural areas, where 99% of America’s wind generating capacity can be found, according to the report.