US wind power breaks all records in 2020

Last year became the best in history for US wind power, which added almost 17 GW more generation capacity, reaching 122 GW in the North American country.

The US wind energy sector, already facing the new year with optimism due to a shift in government energy policy, is looking back to the previous year to discover it as its best ever. Despite the negative impact of COVID-19, 2020 has become the best year ever for this type of renewable energy in the United States, which added 85% more electricity generation capacity. This translates to an additional 17 GW of installed capacity for wind power, reaching a remarkable 122 GW available to US consumers.

The report “American Clean Power Market Report 2020The organization responsible for compiling this vital information on the state of renewable energy in the US points to a historic surge in the sector during the last quarter of 2020, when more wind power was installed in the US than in any other year in the entire historical record, except for 2021. In fact, 54 new wind projects were completed in 20 different states. Among them, Texas stands out with 2,197 MW of wind power installed; followed by Wyoming with 895 MW; Oklahoma, which added another 866 MW; Iowa, adding 861 MW to its electrical grid; and Missouri, which rounds out the top five with 786 MW.

Energywind power installed during 2020 in the United StatesIt would be capable of powering the energy consumption of 5 million homes. This figure becomes even more significant when we consider that the total of 122 GW of installed wind power capacity in the United States would provide enough electricity to power 38 million homes. These figures are thanks to the approximately 60,000 wind turbines currently operating across the country’s 41 states.

Of the total number of companies that stand out in these installation operations, General Electric stands out with a 53% market share; followed by Vestas, with a 35% share; Siemens Gamesa, with 10%; and Nordex, which holds 3%.

Headwinds for renewables in the US

However, these figures are not due to an anomaly in the sector, far from it. We are witnessing a complete shift in trend, which, given the measures the Biden administration may take regarding the role of renewable energy, seems undeniable. The figures for 2021 speak for themselves: another 34,757 MW of wind energy projects are under construction or in an advanced stage.

Furthermore, the report «Energy infrastructure upgrade“, issued by the US regulatory mechanism in this field, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), states that 25% of the country’s electricity production capacity will be renewable in just 3 years.

Saying report It maintains that the additions of wind power, including those decommissioning equipment whose useful life will end in this three-year period, will represent a net increase of 26,167 MW; solar power will represent a growth of 22,593 MW; and natural gas will reach 21,822 MW.

This trend would go hand in hand with theEuropean wind energy, whose 2021 is projected to grow by 13% thanks to the European Union’s energy transformation plan to combat the scars left by the health, social and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which still seems far from ceasing its damage.