The US wind industry installed nearly 2GW of new capacity in the third quarter of 2020, setting a record for third-quarter additions and bringing total capacity to nearly 112GW, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
AWEA’s ‘Wind Powers America Third Quarter 2020 Market Report’ said installations through to Q3 2020 are up 72% on the first nine months of 2019.
Ten new wind projects totalling 1934MW started operations across nine states during the third quarter.
Texas led the country with 687MW, followed by Colorado with 496MW, Illinois with 200MW, Iowa with 168MW and 147MW in Indiana.
AWEA said that of particular note is that the two largest single-phase wind projects in US history came online during the third quarter – the 525MW Aviator Wind project in Texas and the 496MW Cheyenne Ridge development in Colorado.
There are now 111,808MW of operating wind power capacity in the US, with 20 states having more than 1GW installed.
Developers announced 2420MW in combined new development activity, with projects totalling 972MW starting construction and an additional 1448MW entering advanced development.
At the end of September, 43,575MW of wind power capacity was in the near-term pipeline, including 24,35MW under construction and 19,220MW in advanced development, AWEA said.
Construction activity ticked down 3% from the previous quarter, primarily due to a large volume of projects reaching commercial operation during the third quarter, but remains up 4% from the same period in 2019.
Offshore wind makes up 47% of projects in advanced development, with developers planning to bring 9.1GW online by 2026.
AWEA said a number of factors contributed to the record-setting progress during the third quarter.
“Market fundamentals and consumer demand continue to be the main drivers of US wind development, with wind presenting the most affordable source of new electricity in many parts of the country and residents, cities, and states increasingly seeking affordable, clean electricity to power their communities,” it said.
In addition, targeted additional flexibility regarding tax credit qualification from the US Treasury and Internal Revenue Service has also been crucial as the American wind industry works to address the significant short-term challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Association said.
AWEA added that wind energy costs continue to fall, with project costs declining 16% over just the past five years.
The average installed cost of a wind farm in 2019 was $1,436/kW and turbines last year priced from $700-$900/kW, a 50% decline from 2008.
These falling costs have contributed to wind power purchase agreements pricing at roughly $20 a megawatt-hour, the lowest cost of power generation in many parts of the country.
AWEA chief executive Tom Kiernan said: “This progress during the third quarter is a tremendous testament to the more than 120,000 wind workers in the US who are on the ground every day striving to bring more clean, affordable electricity to communities across America, even in the midst of a global pandemic.
“Challenges still remain, but the American wind industry will continue pushing to add jobs and investments to the US economy as we look toward a cleaner, more reliable, and more prosperous energy future for our country.”