The modern U.S. wind industry’s story has been a fascinating one to follow over the last twenty years, growing from practically nothing in 2000 to the largest renewable energy source generated in the U.S. in 2019 (followed by solar) and hitting an all-time high in 2020.
In its Q1 2021 report, The American Clean Power Association states that the wind industry installed 2,561 MW of new capacity, the highest first quarter on record—40% more compared to the same period last year. Wind also represents the majority of the clean energy project pipeline.
Texas remains an industry leader with more than 33,000 MW of capacity, followed by Iowa and Oklahoma. Duke Energy’s 355 MW Frontier II in Oklahoma was the largest project to come online in the first quarter of 2021. But Texas’s 350 MW Azure Sky Wind project is also of note as the first large-scale hybrid project to integrate wind and energy storage at a single site. Currently under construction and planned to start operation in early 2022, it will be one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities with 137 MW of storage capacity. Work also began on New Mexico’s 1,050-MW Western Spirt wind project, which is one of the largest wind projects currently in development.
The U.S. also boasts a long East Coast of strong, consistent winds, which shoreline states and the Biden Administration want to harness to reach 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. Some recent installations include Dominion Energy’s 12-MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, a steppingstone for a larger 2.6 GW multi-phase endeavor. Meanwhile, NYSERDA has selected Equinor and BP to provide 2,490 MW of generation capacity through the development of two projects, Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1. With nearly 2,000 GW of wind potential, NREL reports that offshore wind projects could supply enough electricity to provide nearly double the nation’s current electricity use. Wind’s exciting story will certainly continue.
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