In 2023, oil-producing states like Texas and Oklahoma emerged as leaders in wind energy generation, as per a report by Climate Central. Despite their oil-centric economies, both states topped the nation in wind energy production. Additionally, Texas featured prominently in solar generation, alongside California.
The report highlighted an obvious surge in solar power generation across the U.S., reaching nearly 240,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) last year, marking an eightfold increase since 2014.
California led in solar generation with just under 69,000 GWh, followed by Texas with over 31,700 GWh. Both states experienced substantial growth in solar capacity, with California and Texas witnessing increases of 15 percent and 37 percent, respectively, from the previous year.
Lead Wind and Solar Power Generation (Credits: NPR)
Over the past decade, California and Texas exhibited remarkable growth in solar generation, with a 371 percent increase in California and a staggering over 7,000 percent increase in Texas since 2014.
Wind power production, however, slightly decreased in 2023 to an estimated 425,000 GWh due to lower wind speeds. Texas remained the top state for wind power generation, producing 119,836 GWh, showcasing a net increase of about 4 percent from 2022.
Wind and Solar Power Generation (Credits: The New York Times)
This substantial wind energy output in Texas surpassed that of other states by a considerable margin, with Iowa and Oklahoma following behind.
Interestingly, wind energy dominates the electricity mix in states like Iowa and South Dakota, where it accounts for close to 60 percent and 55 percent of the current mix, respectively.
Wind and solar power collectively generated enough electricity to meet the needs of 61 million American households in 2023. The Energy Department anticipates that solar and wind energy generation will surpass that of coal-fired electricity this year, marking a uniue milestone in the transition toward renewable energy sources.
