UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The development of the wind sector in the USA has,
since the early 1980’s, reflected the wind-related
Federal legislation in place at the time. Federal
tax credits in favour of wind energy assisted the
development, and the expiry of such credits dampened
the incentive to construct capacity.
The Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT) established
production tax credits (PTC) for projects brought
on line between 1994 and 1999, and there was a consequent
growth in the market in 1999 prior to the cessation
of PTC. As at end-1999, total capacity stood at 2
251 MW, installed in half of the 50 States. The wind
capacity installed in California, Minnesota, Iowa
and Texas constituted over 90% of total US capacity.
Energy production from all wind systems during 1999
is estimated to have been in the order of 4.5 TWh
but wind energy currently supplies only a minute percentage
of the national electricity supply.
At the end of November 2000, the American House and
Senate granted an extension of the PTC for 30 months
to end-2001 (effective retroactively from end-June
1999). This will induce the further development of
wind power in the short term: some 2 400 MW of additional
capacity is planned. Aided by the state’s restructured
electricity legislation (allowing for a ten-year tax
credit of 1.5 cents per kWh, adjusted for inflation
for plants completed before end-2001), 731 MW of capacity
is planned for Texas. By end-2001 it is expected that
Texas will become the state with the second-largest
installed wind energy generating capacity. However,
it is the Great Plains states that hold the greatest
potential for wind power: a 1991 Pacific Northwest
Laboratory assessment of US wind potential gave North
Dakota, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska,
Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico 82% of the approximately
1.1 million MW total US potential.
Under the aegis of its Wind Program, the US Department
of Energy (DOE) has put in place a Wind Powering America
initiative. The role of the DOE is to assist with
all developmental aspects of wind energy, especially
helping to move the technology from the industry to
the market place. The Wind Powering America initiative
states that the following targets should be achieved:
