Wind energy leaders predict industry will double in five years

At the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) annual conference and exhibition earlier this week, top industry executives predicted that wind power would provide 10 percent of U.S. electricity by 2020.

“We’ve built an American success story that creates jobs, cuts carbon pollution and cuts costs for American consumers,” Tom Kiernan, CEO of AWEA, said. “To continue this success by installing at least eight gigawatts a year through 2020, we need our 88,000 workers to share our story with elected officials, the communities that host our projects, and with all the young people throughout the country.”

Wind has become the fastest-growing source of power in the nation, aided by stable federal policy, increased renewable energy targets at the state level and corporate buyers aiming to cut carbon emissions.

“Wind is winning,” Chris Brown, president of Vestas America and board chair of AWEA, said. ““While our fuel is free, our customers know, the machines aren’t free. The challenge is to make renewable technology so cheap that it’s the obvious choice. That’s why we’ve driven down costs by technology advancement including longer rotors, taller towers, advanced controls and product reliability. Investor appetite has grown, also lowering the cost of capital. And as a result, the real cost of wind power in the US has dropped by more than 60 percent.”

Entering 2016, wind energy installations in 40 states were providing enough electricity to power 20 million homes, and jobs in the industry had by increased 20 percent.