DOE Signs Agreement with Wind Energy Industry Leaders, Aims at 20% Electrical Generation

DOE Signs Agreement with Wind Energy Industry Leaders, Aims at 20% Electrical Generation
by 2030June 02, 2008

HOUSTON, TX. — On June 2, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Alexander Karsner, announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between DOE and six leading wind industry turbine manufacturers: GE Energy, Siemens Power Generation, Vestas Wind Systems, Clipper Turbine Works, Suzlon Energy, and Gamesa Corporation. This two year collaboration aims to promote wind energy in the United States through advanced technology research and development and siting strategies to advance industrial wind power manufacturing capabilities.

"The MOU between DOE and the six major turbine manufacturers demonstrates the shared commitment of the federal government and the private sector to create the roadmap necessary to achieve 20% wind energy by 2030," Assistant Secretary Karsner said. "To dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance our energy security, clean power generation at the gigawatt-scale will be necessary to expand the domestic wind manufacturing base and streamline the permitting process."

As part of President Bush's 2006 Advanced Energy Initiative, wind energy has the potential to play an important role in our nation's long-term energy strategy. Investments in wind energy will fundamentally change the way U.S. homes and businesses are powered, in an environmentally friendly manner.

The agreement builds on a recently released DOE report, 20% Wind Energy in 2030: Increasing Wind Energy's Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply. This report examines the technical feasibility of harnessing wind power to provide up to 20% of the nation's total electricity needs by 2030. Most notably, the report finds that by using wind power to meet 20% of our nation's electricity needs, we can eliminate 7.6 cumulative gigatons of CO2 by 2030, then 825 million metric tons in 2030 and every year thereafter.

In 2007, U.S. cumulative wind energy capacity reached 16,818 megawatts (MW)—with more than 5,000 MW of wind installed in 2007. Wind contributed to more than 30% of the new U.S. electricity generation capacity in 2007, making it the second largest source of new power generation in the nation, surpassed only by natural gas. The U.S. wind energy industry invested approximately $9 billion in new generating capacity in 2007, and has experienced a 30% annual growth rate in the last five years.

To learn more, visit the Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program page.