Small Wind Power Grew in 2010, Says AWEA

A new report by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) says that Americaâ€™s small wind turbine industry saw â€œsubstantial growthâ€ in 2010. There was a 26 per cent expansion in the market for small wind systems with 25.6 megawatts (MW) of capacity added, as well as a robust increase in sales revenue. Nearly 8,000 small wind units were sold last year, totaling $139 million in revenue.

Small wind turbines are defined as those that are 100 kilowatts and under. Small wind turbines manufactured in North America typically incorporated 80-percent domestic content.

â€œAcross the country people are saving money and helping the environment by using small wind turbines to power their homes, farms and businessesâ€ said Larry Flowers, AWEA Deputy Director of Distributed and Community Wind. â€œThis report shows that the market for clean, affordable, homegrown wind energy is as good in small scale applications as it is for large utilities.â€

Small wind growth in the US has pushed the sector closer to utility scale wind farms, as cumulative sales in 2010 reached 179 MW of capacity. AWEA said installations now annually displace 161,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or the equivalent of taking 28,000 cars off the road.

The organization added sound federal, state and local policies have been key to the growth seen by small wind. Those policies enabled more than $30 million in rebates, tax credits, and grants to go to small wind purchasers, users, and others. But it warned that a consistent federal policy is crucial for the growth of the American small industry to continue. The current Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for small wind expires at the end of 2016.

The 2010 U.S. Small Wind Market Report can be accessed here.

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