Wind energy, which accounted for 39% of all new U.S. electric generating capacity last year, could provide 20% of the nation’s electricity by 2030 if growth trends continue for wind power installations, according to a recent study. On the down side, siting, planning and cost allocation issues remain “key barriers” to transmission investment, the study says.
To reach the 20% goal, installations would have to ramp up to 16 gigawatts per year by 2017 and maintain that rate for a decade, states the 88-page 2009 Wind Technologies Market Report, released this month by the U.S. Dept. of Energy.