Report: Wind Power May Generate 20 Percent Of America's Electric Needs By 2030

Washington D.C. (AHN) - Wind power could generate up to 20 percent of the nation's total electricity needs by 2030, a report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) suggests.

However, this scenario would not only require $197 billion in investments, especially in interstate transmission build-out, but also a tremendous jump in the wind industry, from the current production of 16.8 gigawatts (GW) to 304 GW by 2030.

Andy Karsner, DOE assistant secretary of energy efficiency and renewable energy, said in a statement, "The wind report is a thorough look at America's wind resource, its industrial capabilities, and future energy prices, and confirms the viability and commercial maturity of wind as a major contributor to America's energy needs, now and in the future."

The 248-page report adds that achieving 20 percent wind power will require the number of annual turbine installations to increase from approximately 2,000 in 2006 to almost 7,000 by 2017. In addition streamlined siting and permitting regimes, improved reliability and operability of wind systems, and increased U.S. wind manufacturing capacity is also needed.

If the target is achieved, it would reduce fuel price risk for consumers, improve the overall reliability of the national electric grid, and promote competition. According to Suedeen Kelly, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission commissioner, 54 gigawatts of new wind power would come from offshore farms.

The report identifies opportunities for 7.6 cumulative gigatons of carbon dioxide to be avoided by 2030, saving 825 million metric tons in 2030 and every year thereafter if wind energy achieves 20 percent of the nation's electricity mix.

In 2007, the U.S. cumulative wind energy capacity was pegged at 16,818 megawatts, with more than 5,000 MW of wind installed in 2007. It also provided more than 30 percent of the new U.S. generation capacity last year.

The report also noted that the 20 percent outcome would reduce cumulative water consumption by the electric sector by 8 percent from 2007 through 2030, which would be highly beneficial for the arid states of the interior West.