DOE reports wind energy sector growth

Reports released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) shows that onshore wind energy installations in the United States are growing.

“Onshore wind energy installation continues to grow across the country, and this Administration has proven that we can pursue renewable energy advancements and deployment, particularly wind energy resources, which are predicted to surpass other sources of renewable power generation this year,” Under Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes said. “And with over 25 gigawatts in the development pipeline, U.S. offshore wind is poised to be a significant part of our comprehensive energy portfolio in the coming years.”

The DOE said that 7,588 megawatts (MW) of wind energy was installed in 2018 increasing the overall wind sector to 1,127 MW from over 83,000 wind turbines across all 50 states. Texas leads the nation with nearly 25 GW of wind capacity, while California, Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma have more than 5 GW.

Wind energy provides 6.5 percent of the nation’s electricity. It provides more than 10 percent of total generation in 14 states, and more than 30 percent in Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

Also, the DOE’s Distributed Wind Market Report found that wind power purchase agreement (PPA) prices are below 2 cents per kilowatt-hour, driven by a combination of higher capacity factors, declining turbine prices and operating costs, low interest rates, and the production tax credit. Further, it found that the wind sector is supporting 114,000 jobs – an all-time high.

Further, the U.S. offshore wind industry has a pipeline of 25,824 MW in various stages of development across 13 states, including the Block Island Wind Farm commissioned in 2016.