U.S. Distributed Wind Sector Finds Support from NREL

Small and mid-sized wind turbine manufacturers in the United States have led the international distributed wind market in installed capacity for decades. Continued reductions in the cost of distributed wind systems are essential to successfully compete with currently economical photovoltaic systems. Annual capacity additions in 2013 were particularly low. In an effort to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of distributed wind systems manufactured in the United States, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has provided funding through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to support several projects.