AWEA: Wind could be leading U.S. source of electricity by 2050

March 9, 2015 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

American wind power added significantly more new electricity than any other resource in 2014, generating 4.4 percent of all electricity in the United States while maintaining its position as the fifth largest electricity source in the U.S., according to new data from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Statistics represent generation produced within each state. States importing wind may have lower totals than those used to comply with the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard. Chart Credit: AWEA Data Credit: EIA Electric Power Monthly

Wind energy's growth has been driven by technological improvements and cost declines that have reduced the cost of wind energy by more than half over the last five years, according to research by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Further, wind turbine technology has matured such that modern wind plants are able to provide the same grid reliability services as conventional generators, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) says.

"Wind has more than tripled since 2008, it can double from where it is today to 10 percent by 2020, then double again to 20 percent by 2030, and become the leading source of electricity in the U.S. by 2050," said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. "However, to get there Congress must provide wind with the same policy certainty it provides to other energy sources by rapidly extending the Production Tax Credit for as long as possible."

Congress is currently faced with the decision to extend the Production Tax Credit (PTC), the primary federal tax incentive for wind energy. The PTC's performance-based incentive is a primary reason why U.S. wind plants are more productive than those in other countries, according to AWEA. Construction of new U.S. wind farms has driven an average of $12.2 billion a year in private investment over the last five years, and $100 billion since 2008.

The U.S. will tap into more of its wind power resources this year and in the future, as the U.S. wind energy industry entered 2015 with a record of more than 13,000 MW of wind projects under construction in 22 states.

Wind power is emerging as a critical solution for states and utilities to cost-effectively reduce pollution, which will help comply with pending U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Clean Power Plan rules. In 2014, the U.S. wind fleet reduced carbon dioxide pollution by around 125 million metric tons, equivalent to 26 million cars worth of carbon emissions.

In a 2010 study, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory reported that the U.S. has more than 10 million megawatts of viable wind resource potential, enough to power the equivalent of the nation's total electricity needs 10 times over.

The DOE is expected to release a new report this month titled, "Wind Vision: A New Era for Wind Power in the United States," that will show how the U.S. can reach those goals.

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