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Wind power in the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wind power is a branch of the energy industry that has expanded quickly in the United States over the last several years.[1] From January through December 2023, 425.2 terawatt-hours were generated by wind power, or 10.18% of electricity in the United States.[2] The average wind turbine generates enough electricity in 46 minutes to power the average American home for one month.[3] In 2019, wind power surpassed hydroelectric power as the largest renewable energy source in the U.S.
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As of January 2023, the total installed wind power nameplate generating capacity in the United States was 141,300 megawatts (MW).[4] This capacity is exceeded only by China and the European Union.[5] Thus far, wind power's largest growth in capacity was in 2020, when 16,913 MW of wind power was installed.[6] Following behind it were 2021, during which 13,365 MW were installed, and 2012, which saw the addition of 11,895 MW, representing 26.5% of new power capacity installed in 2012.[1]
By September 2019, 19 states had over 1,000 MW of installed capacity with five states, Texas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, and California, generating over half of all wind energy in the nation.[7] Texas, with 28,843 MW of capacity, about 16.8% of the state's electricity usage, had the most installed wind power capacity of any U.S. state at the end of 2019.[8] Texas also had more under construction than any other state had installed.[9] The state generating the highest percentage of energy from wind power is Iowa, at over 57% of total energy production.[7] North Dakota has the most per capita wind generation.
The Alta Wind Energy Center in California is the largest wind farm in the United States with a capacity of 1,548 MW.[10] GE Power is the largest domestic wind turbine manufacturer.[11]