Wind Generation Jumps 29% in First Quarter 2012: Now 4% Of America's Electricity

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George W. Bush set the goal of 20% of America's electricity coming from wind power, and America reached the 4% mark in the first quarter of 2012, when wind power produced 38.4 billion kilowatt-hours of the 960.7 billion total.  www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec7_5.pdf.  In short, America is 20% of the way toward President Bush's 20% wind goal.

While new construction of wind power for 2013 is being crippled by Congressional inaction to extend the production tax credit that expires at the end of 2012, recently completed wind farms coming on line are boosting sharply the amount of electricity generated by wind farms. 

In fact, the latest EIA data shows that wind generation rose 29% in the first quarter of 2012, compared to same period in 2011.  www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec7_5.pdf.

For the whole of 2012, wind is on course to produce about 150 billion kilowatt-hours, a big jump over the 119 billion kilowatt-hours wind generated in 2011.  Assuming a residential account uses 10,000 kilowatt-hours per year, wind will produce enough electricity to supply 15 million homes this year.