Installed wind power capacity in the USA passed the 70GW mark in November, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
AWEA said there are currently over 50,000 operating wind turbines in the country, at more than 980 utility-scale wind farms across 40 states and Puerto Rico.
US wind power started the year with a capacity of 65,877MW, with 956 utility-scale wind projects in 39 states and Puerto Rico.
Wind production also hit new heights in November with grid operators in Texas and the Midwest reporting output peak records, AWEA said.
ERCOT, the primary grid operator in Texas, saw wind energy peak at 12,971 MW, and also saw wind reliably meet more than 43% of electricity demand at one point on the following day.
Overall, wind supplied a full 18.4% of ERCOT’s total demand in November.
In the mid-West, wind supplied 12,614 MW in MISO, the grid operator for parts of 12 states.
On the main Colorado grid, wind provided 66.4% of the electricity at one point in November, AWEA said.
AWEA chief executive officer Tom Kiernan said: “This American wind power success story just gets better. There’s now enough wind power installed to meet the equivalent of total electricity demand in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming.
“Wind energy is the biggest, fastest and cheapest way we can cut carbon pollution here in the U.S., and as wind power grows, so will savings for American families and businesses all across the country.”
Image: Smoky Hills 2 wind farm in the USA (Enel)
