The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) says the industry rebounded in 2014, with over four times more new wind energy coming online than in 2013, according to its Wind Industry Fourth Quarter 2014 Market Report.
2014 saw the completion of 4,854 MW in generating capacity, with cumulative installed capacity increasing eight percent to a total of 65,879 MW.
However, the amount installed in 2014 still falls short of the record 13,000 MW that the US wind energy industry was able to complete during 2012.
Industry leaders blamed uncertainty over federal policy. The renewable energy Production Tax Credit was only extended for two weeks at the end of last year, and has now expired again. AWEA wants a multi-year extension of the PTC, which provides 2.3 cents per kilowatt-hour generated for the first 10 years of a project’s life.
