Wind generated 4.7% of the nation’s power in 2015
BRIGHTON, Colo. >> Wind energy generated a record 191 megawatt-hours of electricity last year, enough for 17.5 million homes, an industry group said last week.
The American Wind Energy Association said wind produced 4.7 percent of the nation’s electricity in 2015. Coal generated 33 percent and natural gas slightly less than that, the association said.
The association released the statistics at a Vestas Wind Systems turbine plant in Brighton, Colo., near Denver.
Demand for wind energy is also driving up employment. The industry employed the equivalent of 88,000 full-time workers last year, up 20 percent in a year, the report said.
Chris Brown, president of Vestas America, said it can be difficult to find qualified workers.
Starting pay for wind technicians is about $25 an hour, said Auston Van Slyke, wind energy technology director for Ecotech Institute in Aurora, Colo., a private school that trains workers for the renewable-energy industry.
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Texas remains No. 1 for wind energy, while Iowa is second. Iowa generated more than 30 percent of its electricity from wind last year, a record for any state, the report said.
7 responses to “Wind generated 4.7% of the nation’s power in 2015”
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Very necessary development of natural alternate energy sources.
4.7% of America’s energy in 2015 at $– per kwh.
Wind power has actually gone negative recently. Generation has been so massive and demand so low at the time that utilities were PAYING others to take it.
Google “wind power goes negative”
Choyd, you’re funny. I’ll let your post stand.
Not sure what’s so funny about economically free energy.
Awesome is more appropriate.
don’t worry. that will never happen here!
“Wind generated..” Clearly, a result of Campaign Speeches and Political Debates.