US wind output in 2013 beats China's

Nov 12, 2014 - Wind turbines throughout the US generated more than 167 billion kWh of power last year, surpassing China’s wind generation of 138 billion kWh, according to a new report.

In its analysis, published on Tuesday, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) explained that the US currently has the highest wind power output in the world, even higher than China's, despite the fact that the Asian country ranks as number-one in terms of installed capacity. According to the sector association, the US has been producing more wind than any other country since 2008.

The US now holds a 20% world lead in total wind power generated electricity, followed by China and Germany, according to data from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Energy Information Agency, the International Energy Agency, the Global Wind Energy Council and AWEA.

The US’ position was helped by the favourable market environment created by the federal government’s now-expired Production Tax Credit (PTC) incentive for wind power, the author of the analysis, James Walker, noted. “We have common-sense federal tax policy to thank for this production,” he added.

Since 2000, the US has invested more than USD 120 billion (EUR 96.1bn) in wind projects. Since the beginning of 2014, some 19 wind farms of 1,254 MW in total have been put on stream and the US has an additional 13,600 MW of projects under construction, some 7,600 MW of which in Texas.

The cumulative installed wind power capacity in the US at end-September amounted to 62,300 MW, enough to supply 15.5 million average households.

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