The White House praised the milestones of the American wind industry this week, following the release of the American Wind Energy Association's Fourth Quarter Market Report, and attributed the industry's success to President Barack Obama's efforts to support renewable energy. Here are the details.
* According to the American Wind Energy Association's report , 2012 was the strongest year ever for the U.S. wind energy industry, with 8,380 MW installed during the fourth quarter alone.
* There are now more than 45,100 wind turbines installed across the U.S., the report stated, 6,743 installed by 25 different manufacturers in one year's time.
* According to the report, Texas led the way in new installations with 1,826 MW, followed by California, Kansas, Oklahoma and Illinois.
* At least 60 owners brought wind energy projects online in the fourth quarter of 2012, and more than 105 owners brought projects online throughout the whole year.
* Wind energy represented 42 percent of all new generating capacity in the U.S., the report stated.
* According to the report, the 60 GW of total U.S. wind power capacity now in place provides the electricity generation equivalent to 14 nuclear power plants or 52 coal plants and avoids the consumption of 36.6 billion gallons of water annually.
* The wind energy industry represents $120 billion of investment, the report stated and there are currently utility scale wind installations in 39 states and Puerto Rico.
* The White House reported that the wind capacity is now enough to power the rough equivalent of all the homes in Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio combined.
* Renewable generation from wind, solar and geothermal sources has doubled in the United States since 2008, the White House stated.
* "This is what we can achieve when we commit ourselves to smart and effective policies that promote clean energy technologies, create jobs, and grow our economy," read the White House statement. "That's why, in addition to making the largest investments in clean energy in American history, President Obama fought for -- and secured -- an extension of the Production Tax Credit."
* The White House went on to state that Obama refused to let the Production Tax Credit expire and land "a punishing blow to the domestic wind industry resulting in layoffs for tens of thousands of American workers."
