Leading US energy official says wind power cost cuts translating into rapid growth | REVE News of the wind sector in Spain and in the world

It must have come as no surprise today to the folks in the room during Politico’s #PlaybookBreakfast event this morning, featuring Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, that the nation’s head of energy (and social media rockstar) chose to talk about the success of wind energy in the U.S. Thanks to wind power’s combination of low cost and zero emissions, it remains a primary way for states to reduce carbon emissions, while saving consumers money in the process and ensuring reliability.

It was just yesterday that the Energy Department was promoting wind energy’s combined rapid growth and cost decline as one of the six reasons to be optimistic about America’s clean energy future:

After all reports show American innovation and improved domestic manufacturing are two of the primary factors for wind power’s costs dropping 66 percent in just six years.

In fact, when all costs are considered, wind is the cheapest source of new electric generating capacity in many parts of the country, a statement that has been declared true by Politifact, FactCheck.org, Media Matters, and Wall Street investment firm Lazard, among others.

However, many Americans don’t know this. So it was important for Politico’s Mike Allen to record Secretary Moniz’s comment about wind power’s rapid cost decline on Twitter this morning, when the Energy Secretary said wind power has become a mainstream source of electricity in the U.S.

Wind power’s growth has created 88,00 well-paying jobs so far, and wind could support 380,000 by 2030. And at 4.7 percent of the U.S. power grid, wind already reduces over five percent of power sector carbon dioxide emissions. At 20 percent it will reduce power sector carbon by 20 percent. Those are big reasons why states and the electricity sector have already embarked on an unstoppable shift to a safer, cleaner-powered future.

Secretary Moniz’s comments today again show why states will only gain by developing tailored, cost-effective plans to meet rules designed to cut carbon emissions from existing power plants.