Texas is the uncontested leader in wind power, with its turbines generating a remarkable 119,836 GWh of electricity in 2023 — more than the next three states (Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas) combined.
While Texas also led in absolute growth, adding 1,309 MW of new wind capacity, Arizona and New York saw the biggest relative increases at 39% and 25%, respectively. Overall, U.S. wind power generation has more than doubled over the past decade, producing around 10% of the country’s electricity in 2023, compared to 4% in 2014.
Rapid growth of renewable energy is crucial for America’s efforts to combat climate change and meet its aggressive emissions reduction targets — 50–52% below 2005 levels by 2030. The country also has a goal of reaching 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035.
Solar and wind are poised to play a central role in reaching those goals, and recent policy incentives for renewable energy, most notably the Inflation Reduction Act, will be key in boosting solar and wind installations in the coming years. Researchers estimate that by 2035, these two renewable sources could make up over 50% of electricity capacity in most U.S. states. In a dozen states, wind and solar could account for more than 80% of capacity, with New Mexico, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming potentially crossing the 90% threshold.