Wind Energy’s Continuing Rapid Growth

The U.S. wind energy industry installed over 2,400 megawatts (MW) of new power generation, an investment of about $4 billion, making wind one of the largest sources of new power generation, according to the American Wind Energy Association’s annual rankings of wind energy development in the U.S.

Total installed U.S. wind power capacity is over 11,600 MW, or enough to serve the equivalent of 3 million average households, the report says.

The rankings include the states that generate the most electricity from wind, the nation’s largest wind farms, leading suppliers of wind turbines, largest owners of wind projects, utilities that use the most wind power for their customers, and other industry information. Following a growing number of inquiries, this year’s rankings also feature a new category: Congressional districts with most wind power installed.

“These wind power rankings tell the story of a vibrant industry that is growing fast, competing hard, gaining market share, and all the while powering a cleaner, stronger America,” says Randall Swisher, AWEA executive director. “Our new Congressional district rankings also serve as a reminder of the many benefits that wind power brings to local communities — new jobs, more local revenue, cleaner air, and an essential, home-grown contribution to meeting the challenge of global warming.”

A long-term extension of the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) is crucial to sustain this growth, the report says. Previous short-term extensions have led to a boom-and-bust cycle in the wind industry, increasing costs along the entire supply chain and preventing businesses from growing to their full potential.

The rankings as of December 31, 2006 are listed below (one megawatt of wind power produces enough electricity on average to serve 250 to 300 homes):

States with most wind energy installed, by capacity (MW):

1.Texas
2,768

2.California
2,361

3.Iowa
936

4.Minnesota
895

5.Washington
818

Texas is firmly established as the leader in wind power development, with over 2,700 MW installed at the end of 2006 and some 1,000 MW currently under construction. Washington moves into fifth place (ahead of Oklahoma) with the addition of two large projects, Big Horn and Wild Horse. Iowa and Minnesota look likely to break the 1,000 MW mark in 2007. Washington will come close, with the 140-MW Marengo project that is currently under construction there.

Largest wind farms operating in the U.S. (MW):

Horse Hollow, TX
736
Project owner: FPL Energy

Maple Ridge, NY
322
Project owner: PPM Energy/Horizon Wind Energy

Stateline, OR & WA
300
Project owner: FPL Energy

King Mountain, TX
281
Project owner: FPL Energy

Sweetwater, TX
264
Project owner: Babcock & Brown/Catamount

Horse Hollow, completed in 2006, is the largest single wind farm in operation in the U.S. The portion of Horse Hollow added in 2006 was 1/5 the total capacity in the country. We are seeing more multi-phase, very large projects, such as Horse Hollow and Maple Ridge. Building large projects in several phases provides time to verify the resource and optimize costs.

Manufacturers’ installed capacity for the past five years (MW)

2006
GE Energy: 1,146
Siemens: 573
Vestas: 465
Mitsubishi Power Systems: 128
Suzlon: 90
Gamesa: 50

2005
GE Energy: 1,433
Vestas: 700
Mitsubishi: 190
Suzlon: 55
Gamesa: 50
    
2004
GE Energy: 171
Mitsubishi :120
Vestas: 97
                
2003
GE Energy: 903
Vestas: 359
Mitsubishi: 201
NEG Micon: 129
Gamesa: 56
    
2002
Vestas: 175
NEG Micon: 98
GE Energy: 62
Mitsubishi: 61
Bonus: 48
        
The fast-growing U.S. wind market is attracting large new manufacturing companies. GE remains in the lead. Siemens carves out the second-largest market share after entering the market with its acquisition of Bonus in 2004 (Bonus last sold wind turbines in the U.S. in 2002). Another indicator of the heated competition playing out in the U.S. market: fourteen manufacturers, including eight of the world’s top ten, will be exhibiting at the WINDPOWER 2007 Conference & Exhibition.

Top five “managing owners” of wind energy installations (MW):

1.FPL Energy
4,016

2.PPM Energy
1,058

3.MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. of which MidAmerican Energy owns 460 MW and
PacifiCorp 133 MW
593

4.Babcock & Brown
559

5.Goldman Sachs/Horizon
Wind Energy
452

FPL Energy continues to dominate the U.S. wind energy market with the construction of 777 MW of new wind power projects in 2006 (about a third of all new installations in the U.S. that year). Wind projects owned by FPL Energy generated more than 9.4 billion kWh of electricity in 2006, according to the company (the average U.S. household uses about 11,000 kWh per year, making 9.4 billion kWh equivalent to powering 850,000 households).

Utilities/power companies with the most wind power on their system (power purchased or projects owned with the power going to the utility’s customers) (MW):
1. Xcel Energy, with the following on its system:
Public Service Co. of
Colorado - 307.70
Northern States Power - 679.72
Southwestern Public Service - 335.16
1,323

2. Southern California Edison (SCE)
1,026

3. MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. (of which MidAmerican Energy owns 572 MW and PacifiCorp 289 MW)*     
861

4. Pacific Gas & Electric (PGE)     
793

5. TXU Energy     
705

Xcel Energy is again in the lead after moving ahead of Southern California Edison last year. Xcel Energy is committed to increasing its use of renewable power throughout its eight-state service territory, according to the utility. MidAmerican Energy, which includes MidAmerican in the Midwest and PacifiCorp in the Northwest, moves into third place, with the acquisition in 2006 of several large facilities.

Largest wind turbines installed (rated capacity, in MW):

Rated capacity: 3 MW
Vestas
Locations installed: Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Calif.

Rated capacity: 2.3 MW
Siemens
Locations installed: Minnesota., North Dakota, Texas

Rated capacity: 2 MW
Gamesa, Suzlon
Locations installed: Pennsylvania, Minnesota

Rated capacity: 1.8 MW
Vestas, Suzlon
Locations installed: Massachusetts, Minnesota, Washington

Rated capacity: 1.65 MW
Vestas
Locations installed: Minnesota, New York

[average installed nationally: 1.6 MW]
        

The wind industry installed 1,524 turbines in 2006, with a total generating capacity of 2,454 MW, bringing the average capacity to 1.6 MW. With 764 units installed, the GE Energy 1.5-MW is still the most widely installed. The second most widely installed in 2006 is the Siemens 2.3-MW, with 249 units installed.

These turbines all stand 100 meters to 145 meters tall (330--490 feet). Within each rated capacity, the length of the blades and height of the towers can vary to accommodate specific location and wind speed needs. Larger, taller turbines catch better winds at higher elevations and are more powerful because of the larger area swept by the blades; advances in technology such as sophisticated power electronics and high-tech materials also increase productivity. Wind turbines installed in 2006 average 1.6 MW in rated capacity and are at least twice as powerful as the average turbine installed in 2000.

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