Six Trends In Wind (Part 2)

2018 highlights: Six trends shaping the future of wind power

Greg Alvarez, January 10, 2019 (Into The Wind)

“…[U.S. wind energy’s 2018 progress] means access to more affordable, reliable, clean electricity is on the way…[It] was a record year for corporate and other non-utility customers buying wind power. In just the first nine months of 2018, non-utility wind customers signed contracts for more wind power capacity than any other year, for a total of 2,904 MW…Over the last several years, non-utility customers including major consumer brands, cities and universities have become a major source of demand for wind power…[C]orporate and other non-utility customers have contracted for more than 10,000 MW of wind capacity through power purchase agreements (PPAs) to date…[Innovations like Volume Firming Agreements, more companies teaming up to procure renewables, and expansion of green tariffs from electric utilities made] it easier for more companies and other non-utility buyers to enter the wind energy market…

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…[Bids in the December U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) auction of three wind energy areas off the coast of Massachusetts] reached $135 million—shattering the previous high of $42 million…This is yet more proof that companies see enormous business potential in developing offshore wind projects…[which means] new jobs, a new domestic supply chain, and port revitalization…[And wind power is an increasingly integral part of the U.S. power grid…[ERCOT, the primary grid for Texas and the largest wind energy market, set records for total electricity from wind and] the highest instantaneous output from wind…SPP set records for both real-time wind output and instantaneous wind penetration…CAISO, MISO, PJM, and ISO-NE all also set records for real-time wind output…Already this year MISO and PJM have experienced record wind output…” click here for more

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