utilities and wind power

Overview

Wind power is one of the fastest growing forms of new electricity generation in the U.S.  In 2007, 35% of all new generation capacity added to the electric grid in the U.S. was from wind power projects.  Electric utilities are increasingly adding wind power to their power supply portfolios, as a clean, inexhaustible, and domestic source of electric generation.

AWEA works with utilities of all types – investor-owned utilities (IOUs), municipal public power utilities, and rural electric co-operatives – to provide practical information on wind power development, operation, and procurement.  AWEA provides a forum for utilities to support each other as they bring their first projects on-line or as they integrate increasingly large amounts of wind power on their systems.

Electric utilities have a unique role in bringing wind power to their retail customers.  Utilities are the connection to the end-use customers who are expecting that their electricity providers use more clean energy to power their homes, schools, businesses, and institutions.  Wind power is available now, as the largest and most readily-deployable form of new clean energy generation available, and the utility role is critical to deliver this energy to retail electricity customers.

Several recent studies, as well as European experience, have shown that utilities can typically add wind generation to their power supply mix without major adjustments in the planning, operations, or reliability of their systems. In addition, wind power provides a hedge against fossil fuel price volatility since the ongoing costs of wind energy are relatively fixed. This ability to hedge fuel price fluctuations in a utility generation portfolio, combined with increasing customer demand for renewable energy, makes wind energy more valuable to utilities than ever before.

See the links on the upper left-hand side of this page to learn more about specific topics related to electric utilities and wind power.  To learn more about AWEA membership, to view U.S. wind power projects by location, or to register for an upcoming AWEA event related to wind power, click on the links to the lower left.  Other sources of wind power information from other organizations can be found at the upper right.

Questions can be directed to Jeff Anthony, AWEA Manager for Utility Programs at janthony@awea.org