Abstract
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Program, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories periodically re-evaluate their characterization of the state of wind technology and revisit wind research and development cost and performance goals. These characterizations, goals and supporting analyses are part of a larger effort in the DOE Office of EnergyEfficiency and Renewable Energy to establish a consistent data base of technology progress information for its major programs. The data developed are used to communicate the competitive status of wind to various stakeholders, and to support various analytical exercises such as market impact studies and analysis of alternative research paths. This paper discusses future trends for domestic windfarm applications (bulk power), incorporating recent turbine research efforts under significantly different market assumptions than assumed in previous DOE estimates. Updated cost/performance projections are presented, along with underlying assumptions and discussions of potential alternative wind turbine design paths. Additionally, issues regarding the market valuation of wind technology in arestructured electricity market are discussed.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 12 |
| State | Published - 1996 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/TP-440-21476
Keywords
- economic analysis
- energy planning and policy
- markets
- technology assessment
- wind energy
- wind power
- wind turbine arrays
