Wind And Solar Poised To Capture New Demand

2009 broke records with the amount of new solar and wind capacity added to the US’s power supply, and this is likely set to continue, according to a recent blog post.

The setenergy.com post notes that wind power grew by 9.9 GW domestically, an increase of almost 40 percent, extending the American lead as the top producer of wind power in the world. While solar figures are expected next month, the news will probably be similar, according to the post.

Globally speaking, the wind power market grew at a rate of 37.5 percent, with China’s annual growth leading the pack with 13 GW. China’s growing power needs and developing wind power capacity propelled it into the #3 spot behind the US and Germany. The post notes that China will likely become the 2^nd biggest wind power producer in 2010, and may overtake the US in 2011.

Meanwhile, the 35 GW of wind capacity now produced stateside provides roughly 2 percent of US electricity demand. While this may seem low, three states (Wyoming, Iowa, and North Dakota) already rely on wind for over 20 percent of their power needs. The post projects that by 2023, wind may well provide 20 percent of the whole country’s electricity needs.

Solar power will also play a significant part. The post projects that solar power could provide up to 12.5 percent of electricity needs for the entire country, assuming a rate slightly higher than that of recent years. These numbers compare favorably with current percentages for nuclear power, natural gas, and coal (20 percent, 23 percent, and 45 percent, respectively). As the post’s author points out, with dropping prices for wind and solar power, coupled with an increase in the cost of oil, natural gas, and coal, signs point to an acceleration toward increased wind and solar capacity in the near term.

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Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com