The American Wind Energy Association has commented on the US Department of Energy’s data released for 2014 this week, which showed that wind energy added “significantly more” electricity than any other resource across the year.
According to Department of Energy (DoE) Energy Information Administration (EIA) statistics, wind energy generated 4.4% of all electricity during 2014, maintaining its position as the country’s fifth largest electricity source.
Wind energy generated a total of 181,791 GWh of electricity in 2014, up 13,951 GWh over 2013 levels.
Energy sources by amount new generation in 2014
Looking at specific states, Iowa led the country, acquiring 28.% of its electricity from wind power, followed by South Dakota with 25.3%, and Kansas at 21.7%.
Top 20 States for Wind Energy as Percent of Total State Generation
By averages, wind energy provided more than 15% of electricity in a total of seven states, more than 10% across 9 states, and 5% across 19 states.
“The US is blessed with an abundant supply of wind energy,” commented Emily Williams, Deputy Director of Industry Data and Analysis for the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
“Pairing this homegrown resource with continued technology innovation has made the U.S. the home of the most productive wind turbines in the world,” Williams added, referring to the ongoing debate over whether China or the US in fact leads the world in wind energy. “Analysis released last year found the U.S. is number one in the world in wind energy production.”
“Having more clean, affordable wind power than ever is helping to keep the lights on for U.S. homes and businesses,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “We have an opportunity to have even more of the U.S. reliably powered by wind, resulting in more well-paying jobs, more benefits for consumers and cleaner air.”
