DOE releases annual wind market report

The "2009 Wind Technologies Market Report" was released today by the U.S. Department of Energy. The report, mainly authored by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is an overview of trends in the U.S. wind power market.

For the first time, the 2009 report incorporates information about the source of wind turbine equipment, determining the amount of domestic and international equipment being used in U.S. wind turbines. The report determined that, roughly, the amount of U.S. content increased from 50 percent in 2008 to 60 percent in the 2009 report.

Furthermore, 2009 was a record-breaking year, with fully 10 gigawatts of power capacity added. The new additions cost a total of $21 billion in investments, with a capacity of powering approximately 2.4 million new homes. Wind generation capacity accounted for an overall 39 percent market share of new U.S. electric-generating capacity, bringing the overall percentage of power in the U.S. from wind to 2.5 percent.

For more information and results from the report, visit Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy News at the U.S. Department of Energy.