Environmental News Network - Wind Energy Accounted for 42 Percent of New U.S. Power in 2020

Details: By Yale Environment 360; 31.Aug

Wind energy accounted for the bulk of new power-generating capacity in the United States last year, according to a trio of new reports from the Department of Energy.

Cheryl Porter

Wind energy accounted for the bulk of new power-generating capacity in the United States last year, according to a trio of new reports from the Department of Energy. In total, wind supplied 42 percent of new U.S. capacity in 2020, while solar supplied 38 percent and natural gas the remaining 20 percent.

The nearly 17,000 megawatts of land-based wind power installed in 2020 represent $24.6 billion in investments, according to the Energy Department. Iowa, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Illinois, and Missouri each installed more than 1,000 megawatts of capacity, while Texas added more than 4,000 megawatts.

Wind energy now supplies more than 10 percent of in-state power generation in 16 states, including more than 30 percent in Kansas, Oklahoma, and North and South Dakota, and 57 percent in Iowa.

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Wind Energy Accounted for 42 Percent of New U.S. Power in 2020