Wind energy installed more electric generating capacity last year than any other energy source in America, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Washington, D.C.
The 8.6GW of wind power capacity installed last year surpassed the 7.3 GW of new solar photovoltaic capacity during 2015 and the 6GW installed by natural gas, according to AWEA data nd the recently released Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) and Bloomberg New Energy and Finance (BNEF) 2016 Factbook. Wind accounted for more than 35% of new generating capacity, while all renewable resources together provided 68% of the new capacity, according to the Factbook.
“Wind’s growth is being propelled by cost reductions of two-thirds over the last six years, which now makes wind the lowest-cost source of new generation,” said Tom Kiernan, AWEA’s CEO, at the recent annual winter meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).
