US' distributed wind power capacity tops 812 MW in 10 years

Aug 6, 2013 - Distributed wind power installations in the US exceeded 812 MW between 2002 and 2012, with the market jumping five-fold in the past 10 years, a report by the US Energy Department (DOE) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory shows.

Over 69,000 wind turbines have been installed in all 50 states under distributed generation schemes, according to the first 2012 Market Report on Wind Technologies in Distributed Applications.

Between 2011 and 2012 the country added 175 MW of distributed wind capacity, i.e. wind turbines that directly supply electricity to the local grid near homes, farms, businesses and communities. This type of power generation was most attractive in Iowa, Massachusetts, California and Wisconsin in 2012, the report said. Utility-scale projects accounted for 80% of these 175 MW.

In 2012, installers used US-made equipment for 90% of new small wind generation capacity. Small turbines of below 100 kW per unit are among the most widely deployed in the segment.

The DOE and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory expect low capacity additions in the current year as a result of policy uncertainty and project development timelines. Thanks to projects that entered the construction phase this year, 2014 will be strong. The report authors said that the future of the distributed wind power segment was “much less certain” in 2015 and beyond.

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