US wind industry weathers COVID-19 to deliver 1,800 more megawatts in first quarter
While many industries are struggling to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. wind industry appears to have found a way forward, installing more than 1,800 megawatts of new capacity in the first quarter and setting a record for projects under construction.
The profitable news comes from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), which filed the Wind Powers America First Quarter Report 2020 earlier this week. According to its assessments, developers installed more than double the amount of wind capacity against the same quarter last year and began work on 4,124 MW of wind power more.
“America’s largest source of renewable electricity is poised to build on its 50-state footprint of job creation and economic development and to continue bringing reliable, clean, and affordable electricity to communities across the country,” AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan said. “While we continue working to mitigate the challenges of COVID-19, the wind industry is committed to investing in the U.S. economy and keeping the lights on for millions of Americans.”
Total construction activity has now reached 24,690 MW. For perspective, that represents an 11 percent increase over the previous quarter, and most of these — 19,751 MW — are in advanced development. In the near term, the industry could see 44,441 MW, a 14 percent increase over the previous year.
The 1,821 MW that came online this first quarter was split between 11 new wind projects. The largest share came from Texas, with 540 MW of new wind projects, with Iowa, Illinois, and South Dakota trailing. In all, the AWEA reported, nearly 60,000 wind turbines now operate in 41 states and two U.S. territories. Advances in turbine technology have helped reduce costs and made such efforts more viable in recent days. Further, offshore wind is starting to take off, with Virginia pushing to develop 5,200 MW of offshore wind by 2034, Massachusetts signing contracts for an 804 MW project, and Maryland opening offshore wind applications.
Despite all this, the AWEA has warned that COVID-19 does pose a threat to the industry. It has put an estimated 25 GW of planned wind projects at risk — $35 billion of investment — and has left more than 35,000 jobs in jeopardy.
