Texas offered the brightest spot in wind energy in 2020, a year that experts say was the strongest ever for growth in the industry.
Developers built nearly 17,000 megawatts of capacity in the last year enough enough to power more than 5 million American homes. That s according to a report released Thursday by the American Clean Power Association.
Most of the growth came in the fourth quarter, when developers commissioned 10,593 MW of capacity. Roughly one fifth of the power generated during that quarter 2,197 MW came from Texas.
“2020 was a banner year for the wind industry,” said Heather Zichal, president/CEO of American Clean Power, formerly the American Wind Energy Association. “Despite all the challenges COVID-19 placed on our businesses, we still shattered nearly every record for capacity and growth. The fourth quarter was not only the strongest quarter on record, but it also saw more wind installed in just that quarter than in any full year except 2012
However, we get concerned when the president identifies a million jobs linked to building electric cars in the industrial heartland, yet fails to note the millions of additional climate jobs that could be created in our coastal regions and on our public seas in a new blue economy.
Coastal jobs solve climate too
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Two years ago, recognizing that the Democrats Green New Deal resolution lacked sufficient focus on the nation’s coasts and ocean, our organizations began developing an Ocean Climate Action Plan coalition to make sure our public seas are central in U.S. climate policy. Supporters include Special Climate Envoy John Kerry
New Game and Fish guidelines aim to reduce renewable energy impact By Greg Hirst on January 31, 2021
(Shutterstock)
Seeking to limit impacts on wildlife from an increasing number of renewable power developments, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission revised 10-year-old guidelines Thursday, adopting for the first time recommendations on solar projects.
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The guidelines seek early engagement with developers and at least two years of wildlife monitoring before they break ground. By working with developers even when they’re selecting a location, impacts can be minimized, said Amanda Losch, the agency habitat protection program supervisor.
“We really wanted to clarify a process where we had a lot of communication and touch points … so there’s constantly a back and forth,” she said. “For us, it’s all about having open lines of communication.”
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Federal regulators must tackle interregional transmission planning in order to maximize the capacity of wind and solar power on the U.S. power grid, a bipartisan group of former Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioners and Chairs agreed on Wednesday.
Their consensus follows the release of a comprehensive report released from the nonprofit transmission advocacy group Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) that calls for robust interregional planning in order to widen access to cheap renewable energy resources, as well as improve the overall resilience and reliability of the grid. The report calls for more than just a system upgrade it asks for a comprehensive overhaul of the current utility-by-utility piecemeal transmission buildout.
Biden commits to doubling offshore wind
A series of executive orders signed by president Joe Biden includes a new direction to double US offshore wind leases in federal waters by 2030
by James Agyepong-Parsons
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