U.S. Wind Energy Grows, But Still Lags Behind China

In total, the U.S. added 6.8 gigawatts of wind power production capacity from 562 turbines in 2011, enough to power 1.7 million homes. That was a growth rate of 16 percent overall and 31 percent over 2010.

The U.S. now has 47 gigawatts of wind energy generation capacity, enough to power 11.8 million homes, or 3.3 percent of the nation’s electricity demands.

California led the nation in new wind power installations with 921 megawatts added, but the Midwest also saw strong development — with Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota all installing between 500 and 700 megawatts each. Iowa is second now to Texas in terms of overall wind generation capacity.

Wind turbines are also getting larger blades and taller, and thus able to generate more electricity, according to the report.

More promisingly, that amount of new wind energy generation capacity represented 32 percent, or nearly a third of all new electrical generation capacity installed in the U.S. for the year (second only to natural gas, at 49 percent, and well ahead of coal at 12 percent). A total of $14 billion was invested in wind energy projects over the period.

Also, U.S. wind power installations for 2011 accounted for 16 percent of all wind energy generation capacity installed around the world in 2011.

But as has been the case since 2009, the U.S. is still second to China when it comes to new installations and overall wind energy generation capacity.

“China now dominates global wind power rankings, with an approximate 42 percent share of the global market for new wind power additions in 2011,” the Energy Department’s new report notes.

That’s disappointing news for the U.S. wind energy sector given that America led the globe in new wind energy installations from 2005 through 2008.

Further, “four of the top ten, and seven of the top 15, leading global suppliers of wind turbines in 2011 hail from China,” and “with the Chinese market beginning to show signs of cooling…Chinese (and South Korean) manufacturers have begun to look abroad and penetrate the international wind turbine market, including with limited sales into Europe and the United States.”