Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

US WIND POWER CAPACITY TRIPLED SINCE 2008

September 2013: According to a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), wind power capacity in the United States has more than tripled between 2008-2012, to over 60 gigawatts in total. In 2012, wind was America’s largest source of new electrical capacity, accounting for 43% of all new installations.

The report attributes the growth to the rising amount of electricity generated by single wind turbines; greater scale of production which helps drive down costs; and the increasing amount of time that turbines are able to generate electricity, due to improved understanding of wind patterns on the part of operators.

With continued technology improvements and policy support, the DOE estimates that as much as 20% of projected US electricity demand could be met by wind power by 2030.

Related Quick Facts:

72% of wind turbines installed in the US are “Made in America”

US solar deployment grew tenfold since 2008

US installs record 13 GW of new wind energy in 2012

“IN RECENT YEARS, COSTS FOR NUMEROUS CRITICAL CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES - WIND POWER, SOLAR PANELS, SUPER ENERGY-EFFICIENT LED LIGHTS AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES - HAVE FALLEN SIGNIFICANTLY. THE ACCOMPANYING SURGE IN DEPLOYMENT HAS BEEN TRULY SPECTACULAR…THE CLEAN TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION IS UPON US.” ... Dr. Ernest Moniz, US Secretary of Energy