News Update

Wind power is surging in the U.S

• BySheetal Sidhu     |    September 4, 2021

Wind was the fastest growing energy source in the US last year, and it wasn’t particularly close. 2020 marked a record year for the renewable energy option, which surpassed all sources of power — including former President Donald Trump’s precious coal — as the fastest growing in the country. Over the course of last year, the United States installed 16,836 megawatts of wind capacity across the country, per the latest report. According to the Department of Justice, the financial benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions alone is worth nearly three times the cost of producing wind energy.

Federal wind power research has produced a benefit-to-cost ratio of 18 to 1. Investing in wind power is saving the country lots of money. The expansion of wind is helping with that, too. While wind turbines were the fastest growing power source in the country. the growth of renewables is driving down dirty-burning fuel sources. New natural gas capacity fell to a five-year low in 2020, according to the Department of Energy. For every megawatt-hour of energy generated by a wind turbine, $76 of health and climate benefits are also produced.

Follow Startup Story