Here are some fast facts

The U.S. wind industry represents not only a large market for wind power capacity installations but also a growing market for American manufacturing. During 2012, at least 559 wind-related manufacturing facilities produced a product for the U.S. wind energy industry across 44 states. The following statistics provide a snapshot of the U.S. wind industry:

Total U.S. utility-scale wind power capacity, through the first quarter of 2013: 60,009 MW

U.S. wind power capacity installed in 2012: 13,124 MW

U.S. wind power capacity installed during the first quarter of 2013: 1.6 MW

U.S. wind power capacity under construction as of the first quarter of 2013: 537 MW

U.S. wind power capacity installed in previous years (including small-wind):

2011: 6,810 MW
2010: 5,216 MW
2009: 10,010 MW
2008: 8,366 MW
2007: 5,258 MW

U.S. wind resource potential, onshore: 10,400,000 MW (Source: NREL)

Top five states with wind power capacity installed through 2012:

1. Texas: 12,212 MW
2. California: 5,549 MW
3. Iowa: 5,137 MW
4. Illinois: 3,568 MW
5. Oregon: 3,153 MW

As noted above, as of the first quarter in 2013 the United States reached 60,009 MW, or 60 gigawatts (GW), of installed wind capacity. What does 60 GW mean?

• It powers the equivalent of 14.7 million American homes, or the number of homes in Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio combined.


• It represents $120 billion of investment in the U.S.


• It provides electricity generation equivalent to 14 nuclear power plants or 52 coal plants.


• Each year, wind energy produces electricity equivalent to burning 320 million barrels of oil.


• It avoids 95.9 million tons of CO2, or roughly 4.2% of the CO2 emissions of the entire power sector. This CO2 avoidance is the same as taking 17.5 million cars off the road.


• It avoids the consumption of 36.6 billion gallons of water annually.

Updated 7.13.2013. Source: American Wind Energy Association