Colorado ranked in the top of the nation for wind electricity consumption, according to a study released by the Energy Information Administration.
In 2015, 11 states produced over 10 percent of their electricity from wind energy—and Colorado was one of them. The state ranked ninth in the nation for wind energy production, producing about 14 percent of the state’s total energy from wind power.
By comparison, the U.S. electricity consumption from wind averaged 4.7 percent. And the highest proportional wind energy producer, Iowa, produced 31 percent of the state’s total energy from wind. Texas produces the most wind energy—about 24 percent of the nation’s total—but only supplies about 9.9 percent of the state’s total electricity usage.
Earlier this year, Vestas Wind Systems partnered with Xcel Energy to install the largest wind farm in Colorado, according to Denver Business Journal. The project is projected to provide an additional 300 turbines for the state, which will produce enough energy to power about 180,000 homes in Colorado. Since wind energy already supplied about 14.4 percent of total usage in Colorado by the end of 2015, the new farm could mean even more renewable energy for the state in the future.
In 2010, wind energy only supplied about 2.3 percent of the nation’s energy. By July of 2016, that number had more than doubled to 5.6 percent.
Multimedia business & healthcare reporter Chloe Aiello can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/chlobo_ilo.
Subscribe to Denverite’s newsletter here.
