Welcome to IEA Wind Member Country Activities for the
United States

The United States added about 5.1 GW of wind generating capacity in 2010; about half of the amount that was added in 2009.Through U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Program activities, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) funds, state and local initiatives, and private sector efforts, the nation is working toward a goal of producing 80% of U.S. electricity from clean energy sources by 2035.

In 2010, DOE expanded existing wind technology test centers in an ongoing effort to improve wind technology reliability and performance. DOE continued work on additional facilities around the country, such as a blade test facility, a large drivetrain testing facility, university-led research centers, and regional test centers for small wind technologies. DOE also launched a project to develop midsize wind turbines (100-kW to 1,000-kW).

DOE analyses resulted in strategies for offshore wind technology development, workforce development, and gearbox reliability improvement. The Wind Program studies provide utilities and regulators detailed analyses of the integration of high penetrations of wind generation (between 20% and 30%) on a large scale in the synchronous electricity grids covering the contiguous 48 states. The Department of the Interior, the Department of Commerce, and DOE are working together to mitigate administrative and technical barriers to both land-based and offshore wind energy development.