The Wind Energy Challenge

Wind Resources, Population Centers and Transmission Lines

In the figures below, we present some compelling reasons as to why large, utility-sized wind energy technology is simply not the “magic bullet” and why smaller, distributed energy systems have a substantial opportunity.

 

In the figure on the left, the blue areas represent high-speed wind resources; the regions where utility-sized installations will be most efficient and effective.  Notice where those regions are located in respect to the population centers (red/yellow areas) in the United States.  This is important because electrical power demand is located in those population areas.

The figure on the right depicts current power grid transmission capability and capacity; note that fewer transmission lines exist in the areas of high-speed wind regions (mostly the Central Plain states).  More so, the transmission capability that does exist in those areas has significantly lower capacity; meaning that the wind resources that utility-sized generation is targeting requires substantial grid development and technology upgrading to transmit the power to the where it is need – the populations centers of the U.S., where we live and work.