World leader: U.S. first for wind

March 1, 2016 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

The United States continues to lead the world in wind energy production, according to recently released data by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Credit: Energy.gov

More than 31 percent of Iowa's in-state electricity generation came from wind last year, which marks another major milestone -- the first time wind has supplied a state with more than 30 percent of its annual electricity.

Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota all generated more than 20 percent of their electricity from wind in 2015.

"The U.S. is blessed with world-class wind resources. We're tapping into this homegrown resource more than ever thanks to American innovation and U.S. workers building some of the most productive wind turbines in the world," said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. "Now more than ever, low-cost, stably-priced, zero-emission wind energy is keeping our air clean and cutting costs for consumers. American wind power is well on its way to supplying 20 percent of U.S. electricity by 2030."

Wind produced more than 190 million megawatt-hours (MWh) in the U.S. last year -- enough electricity for about 17.5 million typical U.S. homes. China is close behind at 185.1 million MWh, followed by Germany at 84.6 MWh.

Although China has nearly double the installed wind power capacity as the U.S., strong wind resources and production-based U.S. policy have helped build some of the most productive wind farms in the world. Upgraded transmission infrastructure in the U.S. also helps relieve congestion and bring more low-cost wind energy to the most densely populated parts of the country.

Wind energy supplied 4.7 percent of the total electricity generated in the U.S. in 2015 -- enough electricity to supply the equivalent of all electricity demand in Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

For the first time, Texas, Maine and Vermont generated 10 percent or more of their electricity from wind, joining Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Minnesota, Idaho, Colorado, and Oregon in the 10 percent and up club. In total, eight states generated 15 percent or more of their electricity supply from wind in 2015, and 20 states generated more than 5 percent of their electricity from wind.

As the U.S. increasingly has generated more of its electricity from renewable energy, electricity rates across the U.S. have remained 5.5 percent lower than they were in 2009, according to the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) and Bloomberg New Energy Finance's fourth annual Sustainable Energy in America Factbook.

U.S. power sector emissions fell to their lowest annual level since 1995 last year according to the Factbook, which also reported that the U.S. is home to "one of the most attractive markets in the world for companies whose operations entail significant energy-related costs. At 7.1 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), the retail price of electricity for the industrial sector in the U.S. is lower than that in other major economies, such as Germany, China and India."

Across the U.S., wind power generated more electricity in 2015 than the combined generation from all sources in Georgia and Colorado.

"As states plan for low-cost solutions to cut carbon emissions, real-world evidence shows wind energy helps to reliably keep the lights on for American homes and businesses throughout the country," said Kiernan.

Building new transmission infrastructure is expected to help many states, particularly in the Southeast, more cost effectively comply with EPA's Clean Power Plan, the nation's first-ever rule to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants. Completed transmission projects in other parts of the U.S. have demonstrated the benefits of connecting areas with abundant wind resources to more highly populated parts of the country.

For example, the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) lines in Texas have allowed the state to double its use of low-cost wind energy. ERCOT, the main grid operator in Texas, has regularly set wind generation records on its system as a result of CREZ.

Other regions are following Texas's lead. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) is developing a similar set of transmission lines, called the Multi-Value Projects, which will potentially integrate nearly 15 gigawatts (GW) of new wind capacity -- and are expected to yield a benefit-to-cost ratio of between 2.6 and 3.9 to 1. SPP's Priority Projects and Balanced Portfolio Projects, which have a similarly high benefit-to-cost ratio, were made possible by a Highway/Byway transmission cost allocation policy.

The U.S. now has nearly 75 gigawatts (GW) of installed wind power capacity. Last year, wind installed 8.6 GW of new electric generating capacity, making it the largest source of new capacity ahead of solar (7.3 GW) and natural gas (6 GW). An additional 9.4 GW of wind power was under construction at the start of 2016, with another 4.9 GW in advanced stages of development.

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