2011 proved to be a good year for wind energy in the United States. In fact two states, South Dakota and Iowa, for the first time saw wind energy account for 20 percent of their electricity.

While Iowa and South Dakota lead the nation with their 20 percent wind penetration overall electricity production, a utility system in Colorado also achieved a major milestone. Xcel Energy set a wind power world record on the morning of October 6, 2011, when their subsidiary, Public Service Co. of Colorado, produced over 55 percent of the electricity on its system at one time from wind energy.

California also made news in the renewable energy industry. California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law legislation in April that will increase the state’s renewable electricity standard from an already healthy 20 percent to a historic 33 percent by the year 2020.

2011 also marked the launch of WindMade™, a new consumer label that will highlight companies getting a large portion of their electricity from wind power. 15 companies,including such names as Motorola Mobility, Deutsche Bank, and Bloomberg,have already committed to attaining the new label by getting at least 25 percent of their electricity from wind energy.

When more than 50 power plants totaling 7,000 MW unexpectedly went offline in Texas due to unseasonably cold weather earlier this year, power produced from the wind was able to help stabilize the system and keep the power on. Wind energy played a crucial role in helping to limit the severity of the blackouts, providing enough electricity to keep the power on for about three million Texas households.

Southern states also played a part in wind energy’s increasingly larger role in the United States’ quest for more renewable energy. Alabama Power announced that it had secured a power purchase agreement for TradeWind Energy to provide 202 MW of power from a Oklahoma wind farm. Alabama Power Company spokesman Matt Bowden said “This agreement not only boosts our use of renewable energy, it also provides real savings for our customers,” he said. “It benefits both the environment and the people we serve.”

The Louisiana Public Service Commission voted to approve a 20-year contract that in-state utility company Southwestern Electric Power Co. of Shreveport signed for buying electrical power supplied from a Kansas wind farm.

2011 was a very good year for the growth of wind energy in the United States. With increasing tensions among Mid-East countries and an ever- increasing cry for more renewable energy, 2012 could be even better for the wind energy industry.

Related Posts

No related posts.