Report shows growth of distributed wind generation

In a report published on Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), co-authors Alice Orrell and Nik Foster demonstrated that American companies are using wind turbines more frequently to generate their own power near facilities that require it.

The 2015 Distributed Wind Market Report offers data and insights on the emerging field of distributed wind, in which wind power is generated on or near the sites that require it, rather than purchased from large, centralized wind farms. The publication is the fourth annual report on distributed wind, presenting key findings on the usage trends, growth and geography of the field.

“Wind plays a key role in the rising area of distributed energy,” Orrell, an energy analyst at the PNLL, said.

Ranging in scale from individual wind turbines at private dwellings to clusters of larger turbines that power entire communities, distributed wind is showing signs of steady growth in the U.S. as increasing numbers of property owners choose to install turbines to supply power to factories and other buildings.

“Although distributed wind is not as widespread as distributed solar, new third-party financing options similar to the lease model that spurred growth in the residential solar market could also grow distributed wind,” Foster, a PNNL energy analyst, said.