Fwd: Wind power continues strong growth in the U.S.

> Wind power continues strong growth in the U.S.
> April 10, 2014
> By PennEnergy Editorial Staff
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> U.S. wind power continues its strong upward trend accounting for 4.8 percent of America's electricity used in January, reports Bloomberg.
> January's total represents a new year over year record for the month, as wind technologies continue to be installed and improve on output.  Helping to produce more effective electricity generation from wind are taller towers and longer and lighter blades on the turbines, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
> AWEA analysis reveals that American wind energy generation has outpaced the growth in new wind power capacity thanks to these innovative technological advancements. Over the past five years, U.S. wind energy capacity grew from 25,000 MW to over 61,000 MW, a 140 percent growth rate. Yet, electricity generated from these wind turbines grew at a rate of 200 percent, exceeding capacity growth and making wind energy cheaper than ever.
> The cost of wind energy has decreased by 43 percent in the past four years. The average cost of onshore wind power is now the same as the price of gas worldwide at $84 per megawatt hour, according to Bloomberg. In some areas, creating energy with wind is becoming cheaper than traditional resources such as coal or natural gas.
> More information on wind power can be found at PennEnergy Research