Distributed wind increasingly powerful

August 9, 2013 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

More Americans are installing wind turbines near their homes, farms and businesses to generate their own energy, according to research from the Department of Energy and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory which indicates strong growth in the U.S. distributed wind energy market.

Credit: Stefan Dominioni/Vergnet S.A. via NREL

Compared to traditional, centralized power plants, distributed wind energy installations directly supply power to the local grid near homes, farms, businesses and communities, helping to improve grid reliability and efficiency. Turbines used in these applications can range from a few hundred watts to multi-megawatts, and can help power remote, off-grid homes and farms, as well as local schools and manufacturing facilities. Over the past 10 years, the U.S. distributed wind market has grown more than fivefold.

The report finds that distributed wind in the U.S. reached a 10-year cumulative installed capacity of more than 812 megawatts (MW) at the end of 2012 – representing more than 69,000 units across all 50 states. Between 2011 and 2012, U.S. distributed wind capacity grew by 175 MW, with about 80 percent of this growth coming from utility-scale installations. At the state level, Iowa, Massachusetts, California and Wisconsin led the nation in new distributed wind power capacity in 2012.

The report found that 68 percent of all wind turbines installed in U.S. between 2003-2012 were distributed wind turbines -- which can range from a small, solitary turbine in a backyard to several large turbines that power a manufacturing facility or a neighborhood -- representing about 69,000 turbines generating 812 MW combined. In 2012, about one-third of all wind turbines installed in the U.S. were distributed -- representing about 3,800 turbines generating a total of 175 MW.

While the total number of distributed wind turbines installed in 2012 declined by nearly 50 percent, the amount of power those turbines could potentially produce increased by 62 percent because more large turbines are being used in distributed wind projects, according to the research. Still, most distributed wind buyers continue to choose small wind turbines, which have a rated capacity of no more than 100 kilowatts.

For more:
- see the report

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/distributed-wind-increasingly-powerful/2013-08-09