A major Department of Energy study has outlined the prospects for the future of wind power in the United States, and co-ops are already starting to fill in the picture.
Co-op leaders said the newly formed National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO) complements the department’s survey, issued May 12, that calls for a large scale public-private partnership to provide 20 percent of the nation’s power from wind by 2030.
However, co-op officials noted, that goal depends in large part on construction of enough transmission to ferry wind power across the country, an issue that the new renewables organization has put front and center.
The NRCO, unveiled earlier this month in Washington, D.C., enables G&Ts and distribution co-ops that lack development of wind, solar or other clean energy to pool resources and participate in a national program. It numbers 24 co-ops that serve more than 23 million members in 36 states.
Currently, about 150 electric co-ops either own wind turbines or buy output from wind farms. That number is expected to grow in coming years, English said, adding those will play a vital role if the country moves toward the Energy Department’s goals.
The 248-page document represents the first department report that gets into the nitty-gritty of how to boost electric wind generation from its current production of 16.8 gigawatts to more than 300 GW by 2030.
The department was careful not to issue projections, saying the 20 percent goal is “feasible,” but would require overcoming significant cost and siting issues. “To successfully address energy security and environmental issues, the nation needs to pursue a portfolio of energy options,” it said.
This story excerpted with permission from an article by Steven Johnson for Electric Co-op Today.
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Cumulative installed wind power capacity required to
produce 20% of projected electricity by 2030
