KNOWLEDGE
HUB

Resource

20% Wind energy by 2030: Increasing wind energy’s contribution to US electricity supply

10am, October 05th, 2015

This report examines the technical feasibility of using wind energy to generate 20 percent of the US’s electricity demand by 2030.

This report examines some of the costs, challenges, and key impacts of generating 20% of the nation’s electricity from wind energy in 2030. Specifically, it investigates requirements and outcomes in the areas of technology, manufacturing, transmission and integration, markets, environment, and siting.

The report’s conclusions include:

  • Reaching 20% wind energy will require enhanced transmission infrastructure, streamlined siting and permitting regimes, improved reliability and operability of wind systems, and increased US wind manufacturing capacity.
  • Achieving 20% wind energy will require the number of turbine installations to increase from approximately 2000 per year in 2006 to almost 7000 per year in 2017.
  • Integrating 20% wind energy into the grid can be done reliably for less than 0.5 cents per kWh.
  • Achieving 20% wind energy is not limited by the availability of raw materials.
  • Addressing transmission challenges such as siting and cost allocation of new transmission lines to access the Nation’s best wind resources will be required to achieve 20% wind energy.

Read 20% Wind energy by 2030: Increasing wind energy’s contribution to US electricity supply.

Institutions Involved

  • US Department of Energy (DOE)
Links for Resource