The eastern half of the United States could obtain 20 percent of its power from wind energy by 2024, but a "significant expansion" of transmission infrastructure and other changes will be necessary if such a goal is to be realized, according to a new study by the Department of Energy.
The Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study found that it would be "technically feasible" to shift 20 percent of the Eastern Interconnection's energy load to wind energy. The Eastern Interconnection, one the country's three transmission grids, serves over 70 percent of the country's population, according to the study, which was conducted by the department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Achieving the 20 percent goal would require approximately 225,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity, about a tenfold increase from contemporary levels, and it would require the expansion of transmission infrastructure, system operational changes, and could cost as much as $175 billion for it to be realized, the study said.
The study is available at this Web site.
