The US wind energy industry continued new installations at a breakneck pace in the first quarter of 2008, putting 1,400MW or approximately $3bn worth of new generating capacity in place, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said in its quarterly market report.
The new wind power facilities installed span 10 states and bring total US wind power capacity to over 18,000MW, or enough to serve the equivalent of five million homes.
Texas added over half this new capacity and now has well over 5,000MW installed. Over 4,000MW of projects are now also under construction in the US..
Additionally, AWEA reports an increase in the share of US-made wind turbine components - from less than 30 per cent to approximately 50 per cent in three years. Prior to 2005, AWEA estimates that less than a third of components were manufactured in the US.
AWEA believes that by the end of 2008, approximately half of turbine components for turbines installed in the US will be produced in the country. In 2007 and early 2008, at least 17 manufacturing facilities were either brought online or expanded, creating over 4,000 jobs and $500m in manufacturing investment.
A complete list of existing US projects, and projects under construction, can be viewed at www.awea.org/projects.
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