The US installed 612MW of new wind capacity in the third quarter of 2018, bringing total capacity to 90,550MW, according to the America Wind Energy Association.

A further 37,965MW is under construction or has entered advanced stages of development, AWEA said in the 'US Wind Industry Third Quarter 2018 Market Report'.

In the third quarter, 2180MW of new projects started construction and 2327MW entered the advanced development stage, the report said.

AWEA said over 54,000 wind turbines are now operating in 41 US states plus Guam and Puerto Rico.

It added that seven states – Arkansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wyoming, Maryland and Massachusetts – are on course to double their wind capacity.

AWEA chief executive Tom Kiernan said: “The wind is always blowing in the US and the latest wind turbine technology helps affordably and reliably put more of that natural resource to work.

“With projects underway in over 30 states, wind is rapidly expanding as a major source of American energy, good jobs and clean air.”

The third quarter also saw the first orders for turbines of over 4MW, AWEA said, adding that the average turbine size in 2017 was 2.32MW.