Wind

It Blows in Texas!

According to recently released data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 80% of total wind generation in 2013 was produced in only 12 states.

A little more than 21% of the total—35,875 GWh—was generated in Texas. While that is a significant figure, Iowa would actually have led the nation in wind production if generation per square mile were considered. It generated about twice as many megawatt-hours per square mile as Texas did—278 versus 137. In fact, Illinois and Oklahoma also rank ahead of Texas on a per-square-mile basis.

California, being the third largest state in terms of area, ranked third in total wind generation in 2013. Other states in the top 12 that have not already been mentioned include Kansas, Minnesota, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

The total U.S. wind generation was 167,665 GWh in 2013 according to EIA preliminary data. That amounted to a 19% increase over 2012 and a tripling of output over the past five years.

Aaron Larson, associate editor (@AaronL_Power, @POWERmagazine)

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