Distributed Wind Market Report

A wind turbine in grassy farmland

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

A small wind turbine

1.8 MW

1,742 turbines

$9.2 million

2022

Icon of a wind turbine

2.3 MW

1,745 turbines

$14.6 million

2023

An icon of a large wind turbine

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. 

Distributed wind turbine in a grassy field