New Online U.S. Wind Power Could Hit Record 23 GW in 2020

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--A record-breaking 23 gigawatts (GW) of new wind-turbine generating capacity is expected to come online this year in the U.S., as developers race the clock to take advantage of the full value of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind energy, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The last record was set in 2012, when 13.2 GW of online wind capacity came online.

Industrial Info is tracking more than $34 billion worth of wind projects that have been completed, or are still planned for completion, this year in the U.S. This includes $16 billion worth of still-active projects.

Click on the image to the right for a graph showing U.S. wind power project completions by market region.

Only 5 GW of wind-power capacity has come online in the first eight months of this year, the EIA said, but that amount is already more than the first eight months of any year, with the exception of 2009. Developers expect to add another 18.5 GW in the final four months of 2020. December is typically the month with the most wind turbine capacity additions, the EIA added.

Click on the image at right for an EIA graph showing the top states for operating and planned wind turbine capacity.

"The impending phase-out of the full value of the U.S. production tax credit (PTC) at the end of 2020 is leading to more capacity additions than average this year, just as previous tax credit reductions led to significant wind capacity additions in 2012 and 2019," the EIA said. "Wind turbine projects coming online through 2023 that began construction in 2019 qualify for lower values of the PTC."

Texas, already the home of the most wind-turbine capacity in the U.S. (29.1 GW installed as of August), is expected to add another 4 GW by the end of this year, the EIA said. For related information, see October 16, 2020, article - Texas Set to Remain Wind Power Leader in U.S.

One of the completed Texas wind projects this year is Ares Management LP's (NYSE:ARES) (Los Angeles, California) $900 million Aviator Windfarm near Robert Lee in Coke County. The 524-megawatt (MW) windfarm was completed in June. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

In Oklahoma, project developers plan to add 2.7 GW, increasing that state's wind capacity from 8.2 GW to 10.9 GW, the EIA said. Completion of Duke Energy Corporation's (NYSE:DUK) (Charlotte, North Carolina) $585 million Frontier Windfarm Phase II Unit Addition near Newkirk is still planned before the end of this year. The 355-MW unit addition includes the installation of 74 Nordex wind turbine generators. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report. For related information, see November 9, 2020, article - Duke Energy Takes Strides to 'Green' its Footprint.

Other still-active projects that are planned for completion by yearend include:

• DTE Energy Company's (NYSE:DTE) (Detroit, Michigan) 385-MW Isabella Windfarm near Weidman, Michigan; see project report and October 28, 2020, article - DTE Energy Alters its DNA with Renewable Investments, Midstream Spinoff.
• Terra-Gen LLC's (New York, New York) 200-MW High Prairie Windfarm near Queen City, Missouri; see project report
• Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated's (NYSE:BRK.A) (Omaha, Nebraska) 250-MW TB Flats I Windfarm near Medicine Bow, Wyoming; see project report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.