Large installations of distributed wind power turbines almost doubled in 2017

Large installations of distributed wind power turbines nearly doubled in 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) annual Distributed Wind Market Report.

Distributed wind power is localized wind power, which means the power is generated near where it will be used as opposed to being generated from remote commercial wind farms and sent over transmission lines.

The report found that the trend toward larger-sized turbines in distributed installations continued in 2017. The installation of turbines that generate 100 kilowatts or more almost doubled over 2016 levels. Overall, $262 million was invested in these large installations.

“While smaller turbines still account for the majority of units sold, this is the third year in a row that the installed capacity of larger installations is on the rise,” said Alice Orrell, who led the study at PNNL. “Whether used by factories, commercial businesses or even utilities, this wind power production can and does offset pressure on local electrical grids and the market seems to appreciate this benefit.”

There are about 81,000 distributed wind turbines used in the United States, totaling more than 1,000 megawatts of distributed wind capacity. The size of the distributed wind systems can range from a 5-kilowatt turbine powering a home to a few multi-megawatt turbines providing electricity to multiple industrial facilities on the same distribution system.

Iowa raw the largest amount of distributed wind capacity installed last year with 63.5 megawatts installed in 2017. The state now has a total of 192.7 megawatts of distributed wind capacity, the most in the nation.

“In general, it was a good year for distributed wind power,” PNNL’s Nik Foster who was part of the research team, said. “While exports of U.S.-manufactured small wind turbines decreased from 10.3 MW in 2016 to 5.5 MW in 2017, investments in the United States rose by $111 million, the number of units installed grew by 28 percent, and another turbine was certified, supporting confidence in the technology.”

DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office funded the Distributed Wind Market Report.