Distributed Wind Market Report: 2024 Edition
Wind market Reports
The annual Distributed Wind Market Report provides stakeholders with statistics and analysis of the distributed wind market— which includes power from wind turbines installed near where the power will be used—along with insight into U.S. trends and characteristics.
The 2024 edition of the report analyzes distributed wind projects of all sizes and details the U.S. small wind market for the 2023 calendar year.
Key Findings
Expansive Power
Cumulative U.S. distributed wind capacity installed from 2003 through 2023 now stands at 1,110 megawatts (MW) from over 92,000 wind turbines across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.
Increased Investment Leads to More Small Wind Turbines Installed
The capacity, number in turbines, and investment amounts added in 2023 for small wind deployed in the United States increased compared to previous years. In 2023, 1,994 small wind turbines were installed representing $15.2 million of investment. In the previous two years, 1,745 turbines were installed in 2022 representing $14.6 million of investment and 1,742 turbines installed in 2021 representing $9.2 million of investment.
2021
1.8 MW
1,742 turbines
$9.2 million
2022
2.3 MW
1,745 turbines
$14.6 million
2023
2.3 MW
1,994 turbines
$15.2 million
Policy Support Leads to Growth in Distributed Wind Investment
Recent policy support from a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) highlights the increased investment in renewable energy technologies, including wind energy. With support from the historic Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, underutilized technologies such as distributed wind energy saw a significant increase in financial investment. The USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) allocated over $303 million set aside for underutilized technologies and technical assistance, leading to an opportunity for the distributed wind market to expand and grow.
In 2024, DOE and USDA launched the Rural and Agricultural Income and Savings from Renewable Energy (RAISE) Initiative, a joint effort with the goal of helping farmers cut costs and increase income through REAP-supported distributed wind projects.
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Three reports highlight industry development, expansion, and the policies and incentives driving wind energy forward.
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Learn about key facts related to wind turbines used in distributed applications.
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Text version of the interactive distributed wind energy animation showing potential uses cases of distributed wind energy.
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today are launching a new initiative to help farmers cut costs and increase income using underutilized renewable technologies including smaller-scale wind projects.
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With three recently installed small wind turbines at the Flatirons Campus in Colorado, WETO is poised to take the next step in proving and improving the next generation of distributed wind technologies.
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DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory announced plans to award $3.15 million to 12 American suppliers and manufacturers to advance distributed wind turbine technology through testing and commercialization.
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Learn about two developing resources that will provide comprehensive information, tools, and support to anyone interested in installing distributed wind turbines and taking advantage of the benefits of onsite energy.
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A new study indicates that nearly 1,400 gigawatts of distributed wind capacity could be profitably deployed today across the United States.
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New animation shows how a wind turbine turns wind energy into electricity using the aerodynamic force from the rotor blades.
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The Wind Energy Technologies Office’s activities for wind technologies used in distributed applications.
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Through history, the use of wind power has waxed and waned,from the use of windmills in centuries past to high tech wind turbines on wind farms tod...
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Learn more about the wind industry here, from how a wind turbine works, to the new and exciting research in the field of wind energy.