Ten U.S. States Use Wind, Solar for 20% of Energy, with $80 Billion in Related Projects, Says EIA

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--About 8% of U.S. energy generated in 2017 was from wind and solar, but the renewable resources accounted for at least 20% of generation in 10 states, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The growth has been propelled by increasingly affordable prices for wind and solar, especially when compared with the price of coal, and federal- and state-level tax incentives. Industrial Info is tracking more than $63.3 billion in active wind-energy projects and nearly $17 billion in active solar projects in these 10 states.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing the percentages of electricity generated from wind and solar in these 10 states (from the EIA).

The 10 states, in order of wind and solar generation share, are Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Vermont, California, Maine, Colorado and Minnesota. In every state but California and Vermont, wind accounts for the overwhelming majority of generation between the two sources, according to the EIA.

More than $10 billion of the active wind-energy projects are nearing or under construction, about two-thirds of that amount attributed to projects in Iowa and Kansas. During some months in 2017, wind accounted for more than 50% of in-state electricity generation in these two states, according to the EIA. Wind projects underway in Iowa and Kansas include:

• MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company's (Des Moines, Iowa) $600 million Orient Windfarm near Orient, Iowa, which will generate 300 MW from 150 turbines; see project report
• Alliant Energy Corporation's (NYSE:LNT) (Madison, Wisconsin) $580 million Upland Prairie Windfarm in Spencer, Iowa, which will generate 300 MW from 96 turbines; see project report
• MidAmerican's $500 million Arbor Hill Windfarm near Stuart, Iowa, which will generate 250 MW from 125 turbines; see project report
• Enel SpA's (Rome, Italy) $400 million Diamond Vista in Goessel, Kansas, which will generate 300 MW from 95 turbines; see project report
• Infinity Renewables' (Broomfield, Colorado) $400 million, second-phase Solomon Forks Windfarm in Colby, Kansas, which will generate 202 MW from 120 turbines; see project report
• Energias de Portugal S.A.'s (Lisbon, Portugal) $281.2 million Prairie Queen Windfarm in Iola, Kansas, which will generate 199 MW from 48 turbines; see project report

California's Legislators Help to Put Golden State in Lead for Solar
Not surprisingly, California leads the other nine states in solar generation and is the only one in which solar outpaces wind energy. The Golden State has consistently led the U.S. in encouraging the development of renewable energy, which was proven again last month when Governor Jerry Brown approved legislation mandating that all of California's energy come from clean power sources by 2045. Recent legislation also requires all new homes to have solar starting in 2020.

Most of California's active solar projects are in their planning stages, where plenty of factors still could increase, decrease or eliminate the expected spending. Those that are proposed to begin construction in the next two years include:

• First Solar Incorporated's (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) $800 million Desert Quartzite Solar Plant in Blythe, which is expected to generate 300 megawatts (MW) from photovoltaic modules; see project report
• EDF Renewable Energy's (San Diego, California) $500 million Palen Solar Station near Desert Center, which is expected to generate 250 MW from photovoltaic panels; see project report
• 8minutenergy Renewables LLC's (El Centro, California) $500 million Eland 1 Solar Farm in Cantil, which is expected to generate 500 MW from photovoltaic panels; see project report
• AES Corporation's (NYSE:AES) (Arlington, Virginia) $400 million Raceway Solar Farm in Lancaster, which is expected to generate 400 MW from photovoltaic panels; see project report

All investment values are estimates. California accounts for nearly 79% of the projected spending on solar, with Colorado and Maine following distantly. Next year, Cypress Creek Renewables (Santa Monica, California) expects to begin construction on its proposed, $136 million Sundance Solar Park in Kiowa, Colorado, which is designed to generate 75 MW from about 333,000 PV panels, while NextEra Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) expects to begin construction on its proposed, $100 million Farmington Solar Plant in Farmington, Maine, which is designed to generate 75 MW from about PV modules. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Sundance and Farmington projects.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.