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7. DOE: U.S. Wind Energy Production and Manufacturing Reaches Record Highs

DOE: U.S. Wind Energy Production and Manufacturing Reaches Record Highs

by Magnifico

For the first time ever, wind power was the #1 source of new electricity generation in the United States last year.

Wind energy is now the fastest growing source of power in the United States – representing 43 percent of all new U.S. electric generation capacity in 2012 and $25 billion in new investment...

In the first four years of the Obama Administration, American electricity generation from wind and solar power more than doubled.

This upbeat assessment comes from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), which released two new reports on America's wind energy production and manufacturing.

Nine states rely on wind power for more than 12 percent of their annual energy consumption, with Iowa, Kansas, and South Dakota exceeding a 20 percent share. For the past two years, "the price of wind under long-term power purchase contracts averaged just 4¢ per kilowatt hour."

Installed wind power capacity doubled from 2011, but such dramatic growth is in jeopardy because production tax credits are expiring.

As the graphic above illustrates, America’s wind industry is booming. In 2012, over 13 gigawatts of new wind power capacity was added to the U.S. grid – nearly double the wind capacity deployed in 2011. This tremendous growth helped us surpass 60 gigawatts of total capacity at the end of 2012 – enough capacity to power all the homes in California and Washington State combined. As energy production goes, so does manufacturing. The 2012 Wind Technologies Market Report estimates that 72 percent of the wind turbine equipment – including towers, blades and gears – installed in the U.S. last year was made in America. This growth in domestic wind manufacturing is creating thousands of new jobs across the country. Industry estimates the wind sector employs more than 80,000 American workers across a variety of sectors, including finance, engineering, construction and project development.

As part of the report, the Energy Department released an interactive map that shows the growth of wind farms across the U.S. from the first wind farm in southern California in 1975 that could power 4,149 to the growth of wind farms across much of the U.S. in 2013 where 815 wind farms produce enough electricity to power to 15 million homes.

Here are some screen grabs of the map showing the spread and growth of wind farms across the U.S. in 1975, 1990, 2000, 2008, and 2012:

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Wind power generation is also becoming more diversified. Led by local school districts and farmers, Americans installed 175 megawatts of private wind turbines last year that increased their energy independence from utility company rates. This $410 million investment was a 62 percent increase over 2011. Most turbines installed were on towers just under 100 feet and generated 100 kilowatts of power or less. California, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin led the way in growing distributed capacity.

Although "America's wind energy capacity has increased more than 22-fold since 2000," there is still a long way to go however for a truly sustainable energy future in the US. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, for 2011 capacity for renewable power (including wind) was 62 GW, compared to 318 GW for coal-burning power.

"Wind energy projections for future years are uncertain, due in part to policy uncertainty," according to the DoE. The Obama administration wants Congress to pass an extension of the production tax credit. "The wind sector’s growth underscores the importance of continued policy support and clean energy tax credits to ensure that wind manufacturing and jobs remain in America."

2013 is predicted to be a slow year for new capacity additions with a robust pick-up in 2014. Wind capacity projections beyond 2015 are uncertain.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/06/1229378/-DOE-U-S-Wind-Energy-Production-and-Manufacturing-Reaches-Record-Highs

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