The American
Wind Energy Association issued the following news release:
Iowa,
South Dakota,
Kansas, Oklahoma and
North Dakota all sourced more than 20 percent of their
electricity generation from wind power during 2016, according to new
data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration
(EIA). It shows wind supplied over 5.5 percent of electricity
nationwide, up from 4.7 percent in 2015.
With 99 percent of wind turbines located in rural areas, wind
power's steady growth as a share of the nation's electricity supply
has been accompanied by a surge of investment in rural America. The
industry invested over $13.8 billion in new turbines
last year, according to the
American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), in addition to
operating a fleet now over 52,000 turbines.
"Wind is now cheaply and reliably supplying more than 20 percent
of the electricity in five states and is a testament to American
leadership and innovation," said
Tom Kiernan, AWEA CEO. "For these states, and
across America, wind is welcome because it means jobs, investment,
and a better tomorrow for rural communities."
EIA's new data show that wind turbines operating in 40 states
generated a record total of 226 million megawatt hours (MWh) during
2016, approximately four times the amount of solar electricity
production and approaching what hydroelectric dams generate in
America.
In Oklahoma,
wind's share of total electricity generation grew from 18.4 percent
in 2015 to 25.1 percent in 2016. In
Iowa, wind grew from 31.5 percent to 36.6 percent - the
highest in the nation - and in
Kansas, wind's share increased from 24.1 percent to 29.6
percent. The Dakotas also saw significant gains, with
South Dakota becoming the second state in the country to
generate over 30 percent of its electricity from wind energy, and
North Dakota rising to 21.5 percent wind.
Other states are close behind, according to EIA. In total, 14
states produced over 10 percent of their electricity from wind in
2016. Twenty states generated over five percent.
New Mexico
in particular posted impressive generation gains, with the state's
total annual wind generation growing by nearly 73 percent from 2015
levels, bringing the state to a 10.9 percent wind share in 2016.
Investment in wind projects results in new revenues for rural
communities, which pay for roads, teacher salaries and emergency
services. Wind is a new cash crop for farmers and ranchers who lease
small portions of their land for wind project development, while
retaining the rest for agriculture. These land lease payments added
up to $245 million last year - steady income helping
families make ends meet and keep farms in the family.
"Wind power is cheap, clean and infinite, and it saves Oklahomans
hundreds of dollars annually on their utility bills," said
Brad Raven, District One Commissioner for
Beaver County Oklahoma. "When you consider that
landowners receive millions in annual royalties from wind projects,
you have an energy sector that is literally saving rural
Oklahoma."
As wind power grows beyond 25 percent of
Oklahoma's electricity supply, the state's residents will
reap even greater economic benefits. The same is true across the
nation.
Looking ahead, America's grid operators have expressed confidence
that they are ready for further expansion of wind power. The
Southwest Power Pool, which operates the electricity grid from
Montana to the northern tip of
Texas, recently exceeded 50 percent wind penetration for
a period of time in early February.
"Ten years ago we thought hitting even a 25 percent
wind-penetration level would be extremely challenging, and any more
than that would pose serious threats to reliability," said
Bruce Rew,
Southwest Power Pool's vice president of operations. "Now we
have the ability to reliably manage greater than 50 percent. It's
not even our ceiling."
A 2016 study from the
National Renewable Energy Lab found that the Eastern
Interconnection, which is the electricity grid comprising most of
the Eastern U.S.,
could reliably and affordably obtain 30 percent of its electricity
from wind and solar within the next 10 years using today's
technology and tools.
For a library of up-to-date library images of wind energy use
this link
http://www.awea.org/MediaCenter/content.aspx?ItemNumber=7244