Ehren Goosens, April 11, 2013 (Bloomberg News)
“Companies spent $25 billion building U.S. wind farms last year, more than double the [$10.2 billion]budget of the Coast Guard and overtaking the [$22.3 billion direct economic impact of the U.S. firearms industry and its suppliers was]…Wind accounted for 5.6 percent of U.S. electricity generating capacity in 2012, up from about 3 percent in 2011, according to a report…American Wind Energy Association… “Developers installed 13.1 gigawatts of wind capacity last year, surpassing natural gas power plant construction to become the largest new source of electricity…The growth is driven by tax incentives, utility demand, falling costs and better technology including taller towers and lighter blades…The fourth quarter accounted for 60 percent of installations as developers raced to take advantage of the expiring production tax credit. The 2.2 cents a kilowatt-hour incentive was extended for a year at the start of 2013. The rate was increased to 2.3 cents this month because of inflation.”
click to enlarge“Wind power is becoming more common in the Midwest and Great Plains. Kansas gets 11.4 percent of its power from wind after doubling its capacity last year. In 2000, 60 percent of the nation’s wind power capacity was in California, compared to about 9 percent now. Thirty-nine states are producing wind power… “…NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE), the largest U.S. developer of renewable energy, installed 1.3 gigawatts of capacity…[and] also owns the most wind capacity, with 9.8 gigawatts, about 16.4 percent of the total in the U.S. Iberdrola SA (IBE)followed with a 9.1 percent share and Warren Buffett’s MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. had 6.2 percent…”
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