30% Wind Power Feasible, New U.S. Study Finds

A new U.S. Department of Energy study concludes that up to 30 percent of the eastern and Midwestern United States could technically power itself with wind energy, the most optimistic government projection produced so far.

A 2008 analysis of wind speeds, infrastructure capacity, and government regulations estimated that the United States could generate 20 percent of its electricity from wind energy by 2030.

The new analysis, released on Wednesday, concluded that wind power could supply as much as 30 percent of the area east of the Great Plains, known as the U.S. Eastern Interconnection, by 2024 if transmission infrastructure expands significantly.

The energy department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) envisioned three 20-percent scenarios. The first would rely on energy from remote, windy regions. The second would rely on operations closer to areas with higher populations and include some offshore wind. Both would increase annual energy costs by an estimated $15 billion more than current projections, while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and fuel consumption.

A third 20-percent scenario would include “aggressive” offshore wind development and greater amounts of wind energy near the eastern population centers, costing some $30 billion more each year.

WorldWatch