Commercial and industrial companies bought 4,447MW of U.S. wind capacity last year, setting a new record for annual procurements and bringing total corporate agreements for wind power to 16,857MW, according to the first Wind Powers American Business report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
The report reveals corporate customers across a variety of industry sectors now purchase 10 percent of all operating wind capacity in the country. Total contracts rose from fewer than 800MW at the end of 2013 to over 16,800MW at the end of 2019. More than 140 companies have purchased U.S. wind energy. Overall, Google is the top corporate wind energy customer in the U.S., with 2,397 MW contracted. Facebook is the second largest purchaser, with 1,459 MW, followed by Walmart, AT&T, and Microsoft. Walmart purchased the most wind energy of any company in 2019, signing contracts for three wind projects totalling 541 MW. AT&T was the second largest corporate buyer of wind for the year, contracting 460 MW from two projects. Facebook followed closely with 440 MW. At the end of 2019, the technology sector accounted for 41 percent of total corporate wind energy purchases, while retail companies represented 12 percent and telecommunications and food & beverage each represented 9 percent. The range of wind purchasers also encompasses the healthcare, automotive, industrial, oil and gas, consumer goods, financial, and entertainment sectors.