Arlington GM Assembly Set to Become First Plant Operating Entirely on Wind Energy
Arlington's General Motors Assembly is set to become the first plant operating entirely on wind energy. By 2018, the plant's dream of meeting all of its electricity needs with wind power will be complete.
Business leaders from General Motors and the U.S. wind energy industry met in Arlington in February to mark this historic milestone, and release AWEA's Fourth Quarter 2016 U.S. Wind Industry Market Report.
"American wind power is now the number one source of renewable capacity, thanks to more than one million wind workers across all 50 states," said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association.
Currently powered by 50 percent wind energy, GM's Arlington Assembly Plant produces more than 1,000 SUVs each day. The company purchases additional energy from two Texas wind farms, RES's Cactus Flats in Concho Country and EDPR's Los Mirasoles Wind Farm in Edinburg.
With three times more wind generating capacity than any other state and nearly a quarter of American wind jobs, Texas is the uncontested leader of wind energy.
"If you want to know how wind works for American, just ask a Texan," Kiernan said.
The state continues to expand wind power, becoming the first state to pass 20,000 megawatts of wind capacity in 2016, which is roughly one-fourth of national capacity. Today, Texas has captured $38 billion in wind investment and supports up to 25,000 wind jobs. Wind has prospered in Texas due the state's free market and transmission structure.
"Wind power isn't a red or blue industry, it's red, white and blue," Kiernan said. "Low-cost, homegrown wind energy is something we can all agree on. States like Texas and Iowa are leading the way in terms of wind turbines and wind jobs."
Wind power growth is now spreading from Texas up to the plain states and across the Midwest. By end of 2016, the American wind fleet totaled 82,183 megawatts. That's enough to power 24 million American homes. There are now more than 52,000 individual wind turbines in 41 states. In total, wind supports more American jobs than natural gas, coal or hydroelectric power plants.
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Wind Energy Facts:
- American wind energy is on track to supply 10 percent of U.S. electricity by 2020.
- The wind industry employs over 25,000 Americans at over 500 factories in 43 states.
- Rural and Rust Belt American are among the greatest beneficiaries of wind power development.
- Wind power is now the fourth largest source of generating energy, behind gas, coal and nuclear.
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