The United States' wind energy potential is more than triple previous estimates, according to a new study, and that makes a strong case for implementing a federal renewable electricity standard (RES), the wind industry's main trade group said today.
The study, released this month by the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, found onshore U.S. wind resources could generate nearly 37 million gigawatt-hours a year. The previous federal survey of U.S. wind resources from 1993 estimated domestic potential at 10.777 million gigawatt-hours annually.
"This new analysis confirms that America is blessed with vast wind resources that can energize our economy, create jobs and avoid carbon for years to come -- if we give ourselves the policy tools to do so, including a strong national renewable electricity standard with aggressive, binding near- and long-term targets," Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association, said in a statement today.
Expressed in a different way, the total wind potential estimated in the study is 10,460 gigawatts. Current domestic installed capacity is only 35 gigawatts, according to AWEA.
"The wind resource is there, vast and inexhaustible, waiting for us," Bode said. "Meanwhile, the economy can't wait, job creation can't wait, and America can't wait. We need Congress to act now and pass a comprehensive climate and energy bill that includes a strong national renewable electricity standard."
The wind industry has been calling for a federal RES for years, saying a strong federal mandate for utilities to obtain a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources would provide certainty for the sector and would drive investment and demand. But previous efforts to pass such legislation have stalled, despite strong champions in Congress.
The new study, which was conducted by NREL and consultant AWS Truewind, estimated on a state-by-state basis the windy land area with the potential for development and the megawatts that could be installed in that windy land area. The boost in estimated wind energy potential is due to technology improvements in wind turbines, which are now taller and can tap better winds at higher elevations.
