Noutati | Eficienţa Energetică

http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/renewable-energy-news/by-technology/wind/us-wind-power-storms-into-q1.html

More new wind energy capacity was installed in the first quarter of 2011 in the US than in the industry’s first five teething years combined, the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) latest analysis has highlighted. The figure shows renewed confidence in the technology after the amount of wind power commissioned in 2010 was just half that seen the previous year.

The US now has 41.4GW of installed wind capacity, which is enough to supply electricity to over ten million households. Its wind industry also continues to grow, providing 35 per cent of all new electricity generating capacity in the country since 2007.
The state of Iowa is the nation’s per capita leader, as over 15 per cent of the power it generates is wind energy, which is soon to rise to 20 per cent with the completion of current projects. Wind power on the Texan grid, where utility Austin Energy was found to deliver the highest level of green power, averages out at 7.8 per cent of power generation capacity.
California meanwhile, which has been the beneficiary of a raft of clean energy drives under recent Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, now derives three per cent of its power from wind, peaking at over five per cent, according to the state’s grid operator.
The US state of California looks set to continue fostering its growth under new Governor Jerry Brown, whose move to a higher clean energy target of 33 per cent sent a positive message to the state’s clean energy industry and will likely mean more initiatives will be put in place to reach this goal.
Although not in prime position right now, California is re-gaining its historic leadership position in the wind sector, according to AWEA. Within four years of the wind industry’s birth in the state in the early 1980s, it had produced as much electricity as generated from one million barrels of oil. The state’s wind industry is now generating that level of electricity every two days and supports 15 homegrown manufacturing facilities.
As a result of Brown’s raised target for renewable energy, 600MW of wind power is under construction, which is more than the state has installed in any single year in the last decade. Close to one million homes in the state are expected to be powered by wind when this capacity comes online.
Other states that are enacting strong policies to support the wind industry include Indiana, which is close to signing in legislation that will set a state goal of producing ten per cent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025. Although these state goals are outweighed by the federal target of reaping up to 80 per cent of the country’s power from renewable energy by 2030, they represent short-term goals that can be put into immediate action. Ohio passed legislation in 2010 that cut tax on renewable energy by three-quarters, while Minnesota put an end to rules preventing the construction of wind farms in certain areas of the state.