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Nov 05, 2023

U.S. Department of Energy Projects Strong Growth in U.S. Wind Power Sector

Three New Wind Energy Market Reports Highlight Growth in Wind Energy Deployment and Domestic Supply Chain, Creating Good-Paying Jobs Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda WASHINGTON,

Three New Wind Energy Market Reports Highlight Growth in Wind Energy Deployment and Domestic Supply Chain, Creating Good-Paying Jobs Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released three annual reports showing that wind power continues to be one of the fastest growing and lowest cost sources of electricity in America and is poised for rapid growth. According to the new reports, wind power accounted for 22% of new electricity capacity installed in the United States in 2022, second only to solar, representing $12 billion in capital investment, and employing more than 125,000 Americans. The reports found that transformative tax incentives in President Biden’s Investing in America agenda—a key pillar of Bidenomics—have led to significant increases in near-term wind deployment forecasts and are helping keep wind power prices competitive with other sources of energy like natural gas. Since taking office, President Biden has launched the most ambitious climate agenda in history, and wind energy both onshore and offshore will continue to play a significant role in achieving the Biden-Harris Administration’s unprecedented clean energy goals.

“As one of the cheapest energy sources nationwide, wind energy generates enough electricity to power more than 43 million homes and is creating good-paying jobs for the growing domestic wind energy workforce,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is expanding our nation’s domestic supply chain, increasing energy security, and growing the wind energy market to drive our clean energy future.”

Since the passage of President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, forecasts for land-based wind energy installed in 2026 have increased nearly 60% from about 11,500 megawatts (MW) to 18,000 MW, which is enough to power an additional two million homes. There have also been at least eleven announcements of manufacturing facilities that plan to open, re-open, or expand to serve the land-based wind industry. And the advanced manufacturing production tax credit in the Inflation Reduction Act is estimated to reduce the cost of offshore wind blades by 27% and steel towers by 18%.

The 2023 edition of the Land-Based Wind Market Report, prepared by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, details the 8,511 MW of new utility-scale land-based wind generation capacity added in 2022—the equivalent of powering 2.5 million American homes. Key findings from the report include:

In addition to growth in land-based wind, the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic actions to build a clean energy economy – a key pillar of Bidenomics – have also jumpstarted an American offshore wind industry that will create good-paying jobs, strengthen the nation’s energy security, make the power grid more reliable while lowering energy costs, and reduce dangerous climate pollution. The 2023 edition of the Offshore Wind Market Report, prepared by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, shows continued progress toward the President’s goal of advancing offshore wind to promote good-paying domestic jobs and provide clean energy.

This report found that the capacity of U.S. offshore wind energy projects being developed and currently operating increased 15% from the previous year to 52,687 MW, which if fully developed would be enough to power over 18 million American homes. This includes two operating projects totaling 42 MW, 40 projects under development totaling 47,606 MW, and an additional 5,039 MW of potential capacity in the planning stage. The report also found:

The 2023 edition of the Distributed Wind Market Report, prepared by DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, notes that 1,755 distributed wind turbines were added across 13 states in 2022. Distributed wind turbines, which serve on-site energy demand or support operation of local electricity distribution networks, total 29.5 MW of new capacity and represent $84 million in new investment in 2022. Key findings from the report include:

The three market reports, including supporting blogs and infographics, are available at energy.gov/windreport.

Learn more about the Wind Energy Technologies Office in DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.