The Department of Energy has released a new white paper highlighting how technology advancements are making wind energy an economically attractive option for the Southeast. A follow-up to the Wind Vision report, Enabling Wind Power Nationwide, provides a look at wind power’s potential to generate electricity in all 50 states and further illustrates the fact that technological advancements expand potential areas for wind deployment in the United States.  With 110 meter hub heights, as opposed to 80 meter hub heights, there is a 54% increase in areas with viable wind potential.  Expanding this to expected future hub heights of 140 meters leads to an increase in areas with viable wind potential of 67%.

 

"Wind generation has more than tripled in the United States in just six years, exceeding 4.5 percent of total generation, and we are focused on expanding its clean power potential to every state in the country," said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. "By producing the next generation of larger and more efficient wind turbines, we can create thousands of new jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as we fully unlock wind power as a critical national resource."

 

Simply increasing the hub heights for current turbine technology can also open up new areas for wind energy development.  The map below shows how the Southeast lights up with newly viable wind resource areas at a greater than 30% capacity factor for current technology with a 140 meter hub height.

As the lead organization for the Southeast Wind Energy Resource Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, The Southeastern Wind Coalition (SEWC) released fact sheets in December 2014 that also highlighted the impact of technology advancements on the potential for land-based wind energy in the Southeast.  For the fact sheets, SEWC partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to create custom maps that show viable areas for wind projects based on past, present and expected future turbine technologies.  To view all of the fact sheets, please visit http://www.sewind.org/resources/fact-sheets. 

 

“Not all of these areas will be suitable for siting wind development, but with more economically viable areas on the table the wind industry has the opportunity to scale up in the Southeast with responsibly sited projects,” said Jen Banks, Director of Operations at the Southeastern Wind Coalition.

 

DOE’s report addresses issues that will impact the build-out of the industry as technology continues to advance.  Larger turbines will require additional transportation logistics and additional siting considerations will be required as the industry moves into new regions.

 

 

The Southeastern Wind Coalition

http://www.sewind.org

 

DOE’s WINDExchange

www.energy.gov/eere/wind/windexchange