EIA reports on domestic onshore wind capacity
The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory determined cumulative installed domestic onshore wind capacity exceeded 100 gigawatts (GW) on a nameplate capacity basis ending September 2019.
The EIA’s analysis showed more than half of that amount of wind capacity has been installed since the beginning of 2012, noting the oldest wind turbines still operating in the United States came online as early as 1975.
The EIA anticipates an additional 7.2 GW of capacity will come online this month while expecting another 14.3 GW of wind capacity will come online next year.
Texas had the most capacity installed, at 26.9 GW, followed by Iowa, Oklahoma, and Kansas, per the breakdown, adding those four states accounted for half of the nation’s total installed wind capacity.
California, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, North Dakota, and Oregon are among the other states impacting onshore wind capacity. As of the third quarter of 2019, 41 states had at least one installed wind turbine.
The EIA said if its projections are realized, the United States will have about 122 GW of wind capacity by the end of next year.
