Which States Use the Most Renewable Energy… And How They Made it Happen
In which nation did wind power provide nearly half of all the new electricity added last year?
The United States of America as a whole added more wind power (42%) than any other source to the grid last year, more than any nation in the world – mostly among the states with legislative requirements to get more energy from renewable power.
If this year’s big Climate Bill passes with the best of Waxman’s HR 2454, many more states will find a way to add as much renewable power as these states that already have policies that were designed to encourage it. As you see, it’s not beyond us.
For example, the Dakotas have far more wind potential than Iowa, but no legislative push to get wind going there. Even the smallest goal like Texas’ 3% got Texas moving – and now that’s an unstoppable force!
So when the naysayers say, and they will, that we can only ever supply a few percent of our electricity from renewable power, let them know of these examples. And add the ones I missed in the comments.
As they put it in the Musical; South Pacific:
If you don’t have a dream…how can you make a dream come true?
Image: Nick Hess
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[...] The concept has been proven. The Alabama Electric Cooperative in Alabama now has 20 years of experience with a 100 megawatt CAES system. A major new project is being backed by the DOE in Iowa, which gets 15% of its electricity from wind. [...]
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[...] more highly regulated under the bill than now. Business as usual would end. Like utilities in the Renewable Portfolio Standards states do now, they would have to buy more renewable energy like solar and wind. They would not be able to [...]
September 21st, 2009 at 9:34 am
[...] Iowa leads the US in the percentage of wind power on the grid. The local utility companies pay area farmers royalties of $3,000–5,000 per year so huge wind turbines can share their vast farmland acreage and feed the power to the grid. The arrangement has been so successful that 15% of Iowa’s power now comes from wind. [...]
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:16 pm
These Iowa turbines are really cool. I drive by them about 6 times a year and its pretty awe inspiring. They are right next to the interstate between Omaha and Des Moines and are freaking HUGE! They are out there away from the cities and don’t bother anyone but they look surreal at dusk.
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:47 am
[...] Articles: 1) Which States Use the Most Renewable Energy… And How They Made it Happen 1) International Wind Power Business Acquisition — Confidence in the US 2) Renewable Energy on [...]
October 18th, 2009 at 3:05 am
[...] the Navy uses 17% renewable energy (about like Iowa and even better than California), but they plan on achieving a faster reduction and a much tougher goal that that [...]
December 6th, 2009 at 11:30 am
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December 31st, 2009 at 9:10 am
[...] entirely by renewable energy functions when the proportion of electric vehicles increases. Iowa is 15% wind powered and Fox Island off of Maine is 100% wind powered. That would be a good site for the [...]