U.S. electricity generation from wind turbines decreased for the first time since the mid-1990s in 2023 despite the addition of 6.2 gigawatts (GW) of new wind capacity last year. Data from our Power Plant Operations Report show that U.S. wind generation in 2023 totaled 425,235 gigawatthours (GWh), 2.1% less than the 434,297 GWh generated in 2022.

U.S. wind capacity increased steadily over the last several years, more than tripling from 47.0 GW in 2010 to 147.5 GW at the end of 2023. Electricity generation from wind turbines also grew steadily, at a similar rate to capacity, until 2023. Last year, the average utilization rate, or capacity factor, of the wind turbine fleet fell to an eight-year low of 33.5% (compared with 35.9% in 2022, the all-time high). //

anon-onh5
7 hours ago
I've driven across the west at night and I have a question that I've never seen addressed. People talk about light pollution all the time but no one mentioned that the NOTAM lights on these wind farms practically turns the night into day (granted reddish day but still day). I would truly hate to try to sleep anywhere near them. Now what does this do to the lifestyle and habits of the local wildlife? I'm not much of a naturalist but don't prey animals get a bit of a break on dark nights? Well there are no such things as dark nights on a windmill farm. So if the prey animals leave, there go the predators. And if the prey animals leave, there goes your ground cover also because it's the rodents and birds that scatter seeds. Am I right?