May 9, 2007—The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently released its annual rankings of wind energy development in the US. The US wind industry installed over 2,400 megawatts (MW) of new power generation in the country, an investment of about $4 billion, making wind one of the largest sources of new power generation in the country at a time of growing electricity demand, says AWEA. Total installed US wind power capacity is over 11,600 MW, or enough to serve the equivalent of 3 million average households.
The rankings include the states that generate the most electricity from wind, the nation’s largest wind farms, leading suppliers of wind turbines, largest owners of wind projects, utilities that use the most wind power for their customers, and other industry information. This year’s rankings also feature a new category: Congressional districts with most wind power installed.
The states with the most wind energy installed for 2006, by capacity (MW), are: 1. Texas (2,768); 2. California (2,361); 3. Iowa (936); 4. Minnesota (895); and 5. Washington (818).
The largest wind farms operating in the US for 2006, with owner and size (MW), are: Horse Hollow, TX—FPL Energy, 736; Maple Ridge, NY—PPM Energy/Horizon Wind Energy, 322; Stateline, OR & WA—FPL Energy, 300; King Mountain, TX—FPL Energy, 281; and Sweetwater, TX—Babcock & Brown/Catamount, 264.
GE Energy maintained its role as the leading wind turbine supplier for US wind plants for the fourth year in a row, providing enough turbines to generate 1,146 MW of wind power. GE is followed by Siemens, Vestas, Mitsubishi Power Systems, Suzlon, and Gamesa for the 2006 rankings.
FPL Energy continues to dominate the US market with the construction of 777 MW of new wind power projects in 2006 (about a third of all new installations in the US that year). For 2006 managing owners of wind energy installations, FPL is followed by PPM Energy, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., Babcock & Brown, and Goldman Sachs/Horizon Wind Energy.
For the remaining rankings and more detailed analysis, visit AWEA or its Wind Energy Projects page.
