Xcel Energy led US wind energy procurement in 2005

By the end of last year Xcel was purchasing power from 1,048 megawatts of wind turbines, compared with power purchased from 1,021 MW of wind turbines by Southern California Edison, a subsidiary of Edison International. Wind power makes up 3 percent of Xcel's power sales, a spokesman said. A spokeswoman for the American Wind Energy Association said companies that invest in wind insure themselves, in effect, against potential tighter environmental regulations on power from fossil fuels, including potential greenhouse gas emission limits. They also create broader, more dependable power portfolios, she said. Wind power installations grew 35 percent in the United States last year, the fastest rate in the world. Sales of wind power turbines have become a billion dollar business, but wind power accounts for less than 1 percent of overall US power supply. Pacific Gas & Electric was the third largest wind buyer last year, followed by PPM Energy, a division of Scottish Power Plc, and TXU Corp.