US adds 7.6 GW of fresh wind in 2018

January 31 (Renewables Now) - The US installed 7,588 MW of wind power capacity in 2018 after a strong fourth quarter, driven by strong demand and stable policy, show figures by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

In its US Wind Industry Fourth Quarter 2018 Market Report, the organisation said that the overall installed capacity last year was 8% higher than in 2017 and brought the country’s cumulative wind power capacity to 96,488 MW. More than 56,800 wind turbines are currently operating in 41 states, plus Guam and Puerto Rico.

In what was its third-strongest quarter for installations on record, the US brought online 47 wind farms in the last quarter of 2018, having a combined capacity of 5,944 MW. This includes partial repowerings totalling 909 MW. Quarterly deployments were led by Texas and Iowa with 1,479 MW and 1,116 MW, respectively. Texas remains the leader in terms of installed wind power capacity with 24,899 MW.

The quarter also saw 2,379 MW of new construction projects, while some 3,419 MW entered advanced development. This brought the US’ under construction and advanced development pipeline to 35,095 MW at end-2018, AWEA said.