“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç

For the same period in 2018, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reported nearly 19GW under construction. AWEA statistics for H1 2019 are due for release at the end of the month.

A mere 1.5GW is confirmed to have come online in the US so far, according to “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence records.

A significant acceleration in project completion will have to be achieved in the second half of the year if “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence's estimates of 6.6GW additional capacity in 2019 are to be realised.

Normally the final quarter of every year sees a flurry of commissioning at US sites and with the phase out of key subsidy, the Production Tax Credit, rapidly nearing its end a final rush is expected. 

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A handful of very large projects were commissioned in the first half of 2019, including the 478MW Hale wind farm in Texas, the 299.30MW Upland Prairie and the 170.30MW English Farms, both in Iowa, and the 161.30MW Pine River in Michigan.

In total, the “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence database lists eight utility-scale US projects that were commissioned in H1 2019: three in Iowa, two in Texas, and one each in Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.

Large amounts of capacity are under construction and expected online this year in Texas, Iowa, Illinois and Oklahoma.

Inevitably, only a portion of this capacity will be commissioned by the end of 2019. But the thousands of megawatts currently under construction bode well for this year and the next).

GE Renewable Energy inched ahead of Vestas to become the leading OEM in the US in 2018.

In the first half of the year, that trend continues, with GE just pipping Vestas for installed capacity added in 2019, according to “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence.

However, the battle between the two OEMs is set to be close once again, with Vestas retaining more capacity under construction, based on the TPA information recorded in WPI.

The “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence database gives details of nearly 3,000 turbines for which purchase agreements have been confirmed at under-construction wind projects in the US (see below).

Looking further into the future, New Mexico has a pipeline of nearly 3.7GW with permits to build in place, according to “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence records.

Each of Missouri, Wyoming and South Dakota have in excess of 1GW of permitted wind capacity, while another 5.8GW of wind projects with permits are located elsewhere in the US (see below).

A total pipeline of 80GW is recorded by “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence as being in the early stages of development in the US, ranging from preliminary planning to the final stages of the permitting process.

Of this planned capacity, as much as 17.7GW is expected to be delivered offshore.

The US offshore industry has suffered some false starts, but it now looks set to fulfill its promise along the Atlantic coastline.

Onshore, the largest pipeline is unsurprisingly in Texas, with 29 projects equalling 11.3GW.

Large pipelines of around three or four gigawatts exist in Illinois, Iowa, Wyoming, South Dakota, New York and Nebraska, with a handful of other states seeing pipelines in excess of 2GW .

“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence is the research arm of “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç. For information on how to access its services, including a database tracking the details of more than 25,000 wind farms worldwide, please contact Hinesh Jethwa (+44 (0) 20 8267 8128)