The number of wind farm projects under construction in the U.S. has grown by more than 40% since this time last year, according to a report by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
Texas has historically installed more than 3 times the number of wind farms as any other state. The trend continues: Texas leads the nation with 39% of new wind energy construction.
Texas already has the highest wind power capacity in the nation, producing more than 20,000 megawatts each day—enough to power 4 million homes on the most scorching afternoon.
According to Hannah Hunt, a research analyst with AWEA and an author of the report, wind farms means more than industry activity. “It’s also an indicator of economic investment, of future jobs that we’re going to see in both construction and then in the operations phase when wind technicians are needed. And other local employees needed to be hired to help maintain these wind farms,” she said.
Texas currently produces more than a quarter of the wind power in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and that number may soon rise.