U.S. WIND POWER INSTALLATIONS SURGED IN 2020

The U.S. wind industry had its strongest year ever in 2020, nearly doubling installations from the prior year to reach a record high. Developers built almost 17 gigawatts of capacity during the year, enough to power over 5 million homes, according to a report from the American Clean Power Association. Most of that growth came in the fourth quarter as developers moved to complete projects before the expiration of federal tax incentives at year-end. The U.S. now has about 122 gigawatts of operating wind-power capacity, enough to power about 38 million homes, the report said. Texas installed the most capacity last quarter, followed by Wyoming, Oklahoma and Iowa. Worldwide, the offshore wind industry saw a 56 per cent spike in spending on offshore wind projects, according to BloombergNEF.