| 20% Wind Energy in the United States by 2030 |
On May 12th, 2008 the Department of Energy, in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Lab, American Wind Energy Association, Utility Wind Integration Group, and Industry Representatives, released the results of an 18 month study. The report analyzes the feasibility of 20% wind energy by the year 2030 across the United States, the economic impacts, the feasibility and need for manufacturing growth, and the feasibility, impacts, and cost of growing the electric grid to accomodate this growth.
The impacts on the state of Tennessee are summarized below, for an indepth look inside this groundbreaking vision for the United States, please download the full report. If there are any questions, please contact via our home page.
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May 12, 2008
Press Release: Department of Energy
Wind Energy Could Produce 20 Percent of U.S. Electricity By 2030
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) today released a first-of-its kind report that examines the technical feasibility of harnessing wind power to provide up to 20 percent of the nation’s total electricity needs by 2030.... (read more)
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May 12, 2008
Press Release: American Wind Energy Association
Major New Technical Report Finds Wind Can Provide 20% of U.S. Electricity Needs by 2030
“The report shows that wind power can provide 20% of the nation’s electricity by 2030, and be a critical part of the solution to global warming,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “This level of wind power is the equivalent of taking 140 million cars off the road,” he said. “The report identifies the central constraints to achieving 20% - transmission, siting, manufacturing and technology - and demonstrates how each can be overcome. As an inexhaustible domestic resource, wind strengthens our energy security, improves the quality of the air we breathe, slows climate change, and revitalizes rural communities.”....(read more)
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Where Could the Wind Projects Go?
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory ran a model that took into account the cost of moving wind across transmission corridors and the cost of building wind in various wind resource areas. The result is an economic model that shows a cost effective plan for locating wind projects across the United States, where 33 states, including the state of Tennessee, appear to contribute at least 1,000 MW of wind energy capacity.
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| Source: DOE 20% by 2030 Wind Vision Report |
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| Source: DOE 20% by 2030 Wind Vision Report |
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How Will We Build So Much Wind?
A challenge recognized in this vision is building a reliable, efficient, supply chain capable of producing the mass amounts of wind turbines in a relatively short time frame. Turbine suppliers, manufacturers, and other industry experts analyzed current infrastructure in the United States and raw materials throughout the world and determined that it was feasible to build the supply chain. In fact, this vision comes at a time where the United States could use investment in an outsource free energy resource, such as wind energy. Currently, a vast majority of manufacturing is brought from overseas. However, with the rising cost of gasoline, declining value of the dollar, and rising cost of steel, cooper, and other heavy metals, that manufacturing is beginning to move towards the markets that show the most promise for future growth.
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| Source: DOE 20% by 2030 Wind Vision Report |
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| Source: DOE 20% by 2030 Wind Vision Report |
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How Much Will The 20% Plan Cost?
The 20% Plan will cost $43 billion more than business as usual between now and 2030 according to modeling. However, when you take into consideration the amount of natural gas saved, and price reductions from the natural gas due to a reduction in demand and therefore an increase in supply, we find that $150 billion would be saved. Additionally, the reduction of CO2 emissions would provide a future svings of $98 billion, for a total of $205 billion in savings when you take into account future Natural Gas and CO2 costs.
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| Source: DOE 20% by 2030 Wind Vision Report |
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| Source: DOE 20% by 2030 Wind Vision Report |
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