May 20, 2015 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

New wind turbine designs are putting wind energy -- one of the nation's largest domestic energy resources -- to good use. In fact, a new report, "Enabling Wind Power Nationwide," demonstrates the ability for advanced wind turbines to reach stronger winds higher above the ground, unlocking a previously untapped resource that could eventually bring wind energy development to every state, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Land area achieving a minimum 30% net capacity factor, based on 2013 technology and an 80 meter hub height. Credit: DOE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new report builds upon the DOE's "Wind Vision: A New Era for Wind Power" report released this past March, which shows wind energy can become one of America's top electricity sources, and save consumers money while doing so.

"Wind generation has more than tripled in the United States in just six years, exceeding 4.5 percent of total generation, and we are focused on expanding its clean power potential to every state in the country," said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz in his keynote at Windpower 2015. "By producing the next generation of larger and more efficient wind turbines, we can create thousands of new jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as we fully unlock wind power as a critical national resource."

The report is receiving great praise.

"This report is great news for consumers, job seekers, rural communities and many others in these states that have yet to fully benefit from American wind power. Wind turbine technology has advanced in just a few decades from the Model T era to more like that of a Tesla Model S. Advanced towers, blades and improved electronics to operate and maintain the turbines are all part of this revolution," said American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) CEO Tom Kiernan. "The technological advances described by Secretary Moniz have redrawn the wind resource map, validating the opportunity for all states to host wind development. Our domestic wind resource is massive -- enough to meet our electricity needs 10 times over -- but largely untapped."

More than 1,000 American wind turbines are already accessing higher wind resources with towers reaching 100 meters or more above the ground, rather than the 80 meter standard that had been the state-of-the-art for multiple years. Heights up to 120 meters or more are already common in Europe, allowing the stronger, steadier winds at that elevation to be tapped. At 110-meter hub heights, DOE expects the land area with physical potential for wind deployment in the U.S. to increase 54 percent -- and at 140-meter hub heights, the potential wind deployment would increase 67 percent.

Advancement in turbine technology, including raising hub heights to 140 meters and lowering specific power, would open up an additional one-fifth of the land area of the United States for wind turbine locations, lighting up many parts of the country, especially the Southeast U.S.

According to DOE's recently released Wind Vision report, select areas in the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast are expected to see economical wind deployment for the first time due to this next generation of wind turbine technology, including Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, which currently have no commercial wind turbines, and additional parts of Michigan and Minnesota.

Since 2008, advances in current wind turbine technology combined with 110 meter hub heights have doubled the geographic area where it is feasible to generate electricity, so that nearly half of the land area of the contiguous United States could be viable.

For more:
- see the report

© 2015 FierceMarkets, a division of Questex Media Group LLC. All rights reserved.

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/doe-report-touts-untapped-new-wind-resource/2015-05-20