Government Study Shows U.S. Wind Resources Larger than Previously Estimated

A new study by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has revealed that U.S. wind resources are far greater than previously believed.

The study, a collaborative project between NREL and AWS Truewind, LLC, of Albany, New York, created resource maps and wind potential tables for 48 states. The recent study is the first comprehensive update of the wind energy potential by state since 1993.

The resource maps for the contiguous United States, and separately for each state, show the predicted mean annual wind speeds at 80-meter height. They are derived from 200-meter resolution maps developed by AWS Truewind for the windNavigator system.

Areas with annual average wind speeds around 6.5 m/s and greater at 80-meter height are generally considered to have suitable wind resources for wind development

In 2009, the U.S. wind industry added nearly 10,000 megawatts (MW) of new capacity, enough to power the equivalent of 2.4 million homes or generate as much electricity as three large nuclear power plants. The wind turbine fleet in place at year’s end—over 35,000 MW—is enough to power the equivalent of some 9.7 million homes, and that number is increasing at the rate of a million homes every five months.

However, that is just a fraction America’s full wind capacity. The researchers found that:

• Onshore U.S. wind resources could generate nearly 37,000,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) annually-- more than nine times current total U.S. electricity consumption.

• Put another way, the potential capacity of America’s onshore wind resource is over 10,000 gigawatts (GW). The U.S. is barely tapping this vast resource: current installed wind capacity is 35 GW in the U.S. and 158 GW world-wide.

• These larger estimates are due to improved wind turbine technology, as today’s taller turbines tap better winds at higher elevations (this study measured winds at 80 meters), and to more refined wind measurements. The previous national government survey of U.S. wind resources, carried out by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory, estimated U.S. wind potential at 10,777,000 GWh.

• Within this bigger "pie" of wind resources, the top 10 windiest states are:

1. Texas
2. Kansas
3. Montana
4. Nebraska
5. South Dakota
6. North Dakota
7. Iowa
8. Wyoming
9. Oklahoma
10. New Mexico

• Indiana, Ohio and Oregon have moved into the top 20 windiest states list for the first time.

• In a single year, the U.S. wind resource potential could produce 364.9 quadrillion btus, the energy equivalent of all proven oil and natural gas reserves in the U.S., as estimated by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). As a renewable resource wind will not be depleted and will continue to provide energy year after year.

The DOE requires accurate information about wind energy potential in each state for federal and state policy initiatives that will expand the use of wind energy in the United States.

"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 target,” said American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode.

Bode further added:  “A national Renewable Electricity Standard would not only ensure that we tap our nation’s vast wind resources, but create thousands of new American jobs today, manufacturing the 8,000 component parts that go into a modern wind turbine. The wind resource is there, vast and inexhaustible, waiting for us. 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.”