On Tuesday, DOE released three reports covering wind-power trends and developments: the 2016 Wind Technologies Market Report, the 2016 Distributed Wind Market Report, and the 2016 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report.
The eleventh annual Wind Technologies Report summarizes trends and new developments in utility-scale, land-based wind turbine installation, technology, manufacturing, and supply. The report also summarizes trends and developments in wind power performance, costs, and pricing. It also provides an overview of the market factors and federal and state policies that are impacting the sector, and forecasts potential near-term market developments. Highlights of the report include that in 2016, 8,203 MW of new wind capacity was added to the nation’s energy portfolio representing the third largest source of new generating capacity in the US, wind power purchase agreement prices continue to be low, and the “federal production tax credit remains a core motivator for wind power deployment.” A presentation on the report and associated data tables are posted here.
The Distributed Wind Market Report provides an overview of trends and developments in and drivers of the domestic distributed wind market. Highlights of the report include that in 2016, 45.4 MW of distributed wind energy was installed across 25 states and Guam, and a combined $12.8 million in federal, state, and utility incentives were given out in 2016 to support the development of distributed wind projects. Data tables associated with the report are posted here.
The Offshore Wind Technologies Report provides a global overview of offshore wind projects that were operational by December 31, 2016, and quantitative information about domestic trends and developments through the second quarter of 2017.