Report: Minnesota Is Leader In Wind Energy
Washington, DC (KROC AM News) - According to two reports released Monday by the Energy Department, the U.S. wind energy industry continued growing at an impressive rate in 2014.
The 2014 Wind Energy Technologies Report by the Energy Department and its Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory says total installed wind power capacity in the US grew by 8 percent last year, reaching nearly 66 gigawatts. That’s second highest in the world. The report also finds that wind energy prices are at an all-time low and are competitive with wholesale power prices and traditional power sources across many areas of the United States.
Minnesota produced 15.9 percent of its electrical generation from wind power in 2014 and the state’s wind power capacity grew to 3,035 megawatts. Minnesota ranks 2nd in the country for distributed wind energy capacity and was the country’s largest installer of small wind turbines in 2014.
“With declining costs and continued technological development, these reports demonstrate that wind power has been established as a reliable source of clean, renewable energy for American homes and businesses,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “Through continued investments and the help of stable policies, it’s clear that wind power will keep playing a major role in creating jobs and shaping America’s clean energy future.”
The Energy Department will conduct a webinar Tuesday (11:30 CDT) about key findings from the reports.
See how wind turbines capture energy in this video.
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