The US state of Colorado has vast wind energy resources and the installed capacity of wind power in Colorado has been growing significantly in recent years due to international mass adoption of wind power and the state's aggressive renewable portfolio standard that requires 30% of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020.[1]
[edit] Notable projects
At 400 MW, the Peetz Table Wind Energy Center is the largest wind farm in the state and provides enough electricity to power nearly 120,000 homes. It consists of 347 GE Wind Energy turbines.
The Cedar Creek Wind Farm was built in built in 2007 and has 300 MW of generation capacity from 274 wind turbines.[2] Cedar Creek II was built in 2011 and has 250 MW of generation capacity from 60 Nordex and 63 GE wind turbines.[3]
[edit] Capacity
Colorado Wind Generation Capacity by Year
 |
| Megawatts of installed generating capacity[4][5] |
[edit] Installed
The graph at left shows the growth in wind power installed nameplate capacity in MW for Colorado since 2001.[6][7]
[edit] Potential
In early 2010, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory released the first comprehensive update of wind energy potential by state since 1993, showing that Colorado had the potential to install 387,220 MW of wind power.[8]
[edit] Incentives
Colorado voters approved Amendment 37 which required the state's largest utilities to obtain 3 percent of their electricity from renewable energy resources by 2007, and 10 percent by 2015.[9]
[edit] Wind generation
Wind power accounted for 11.3% of total electricity generated in Colorado during 2012.[10]
| Colorado Wind Generation (GWh, Million kWh) |
| Year |
Total |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| 2009 |
3,164 |
396 |
270 |
268 |
314 |
228 |
162 |
153 |
175 |
248 |
311 |
277 |
304 |
| 2010 |
3,452 |
245 |
226 |
306 |
364 |
331 |
271 |
213 |
216 |
257 |
275 |
341 |
416 |
| 2011 |
4,729 |
375 |
350 |
355 |
418 |
459 |
385 |
276 |
310 |
297 |
507 |
551 |
499 |
| 2012 |
|
606 |
519 |
535 |
522 |
422 |
467 |
333 |
441 |
331 |
449 |
474 |
|
Source:[11][12]
|
Colorado Wind Generation in 2011
 |
|
Colorado Wind Generation in 2010
 |
|
Colorado Wind Generation in 2009
 |
|
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Eber, Kevin and Ernie Tucker (March 26, 2010). "Colorado Boosts its RPS to 30% by 2020". RenewableEnergyWorld. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
- ^ Full operation of Cedar Creek wind farm announced
- ^ BP, Sempra Celebrate Completion Of Cedar Creek Wind Farm
- ^ "Wind Powering America: Installed U.S. Wind Capacity and Wind Project Locations". U.S. Department of Energy. January 19, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "AWEA 4th quarter 2011 Public Market Report". American Wind Energy Association(AWEA). January 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (March 5, 2010). "U.S. Installed Wind Capacity and Wind Project Locations". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
- ^ Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (April 29, 2011). "Installed Wind Capacity by State". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
- ^ National Renewable Energy Laboratory (February 4, 2010). "State wind energy potential (2010)". U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
- ^ "Colorado Voters Pass Renewable Energy Standard". RenewableEnergyWorld.com. November 3, 2004. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
- ^ "Wind Now 10% of Electricity in Nine States, Over 20% in Iowa, South Dakota". RenewableEnergyWorld.com. March 18, 2013.
- ^ EIA (July 27, 2012). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.17.A.". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^ EIA (July 27, 2012). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.17.B.". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
[edit] External links
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