Last quarter was a tough one for the wind industry.
The U.S. connected 945 MW of new wind capacity from April to June. It was the lowest level since the third quarter of 2018 and a 77% drop from the same period in 2021 when 4,098 MW of wind capacity came online.
The sharp decline outlined by new a S&P Global Market Intelligence report represents a 66% decline from the first quarter of 2022, when the U.S. added 2,786 MW of wind power capacity.
"The decline in additions occurred as the U.S. wind industry was waiting to see if Congress would reinstate production tax credits for new onshore wind farms, with wind equipment manufacturers experiencing delays in orders amid policy uncertainty, supply chain disruptions and rising prices," S&P Global Market Intelligence analysts wrote.
As of the end of the second quarter, the U.S. had a cumulative wind power capacity of 139,025 MW. The largest plant was added to the ERCOT grid, the 336-MW Truscott-Gilliland East Wind Project in Knox County, Texas.
Despite the Q2 choppiness, the U.S. wind energy development pipeline appears healthy: 73.4 GW of new capacity are in varying stages of development through 2026, nearly a third of which is in advanced development or under construction, according to S&P.
Moreover, the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, and $369 billion for clean energy and climate change, should give wind developers the certainty they craved from long-term tax credits.
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Top 10 U.S. wind projects completed in the first half of 2022
AEP's Traverse Wind Energy Center becomes one of the largest wind farms in operation in the U.S. with an expected output of 3.8 million MWh annually. (Courtesy: AEP) - Traverse Wind Energy Center - 999 MW - Custer, OK
- Truscott-Gilliland East Wind Project - 336 MW - Knox, TX
- Caddo Wind Farm - 303 MW - Caddo, OK
- Dakota Range I & II - 302 MW - Codington, SD
- Priddy Wind Project - 302 MW - Mills, TX
- Haystack Wind Project - 298 MW - Wayne, NE
- Golden Hills Wind Farm - 201 MW - Sherman, OR
- El Algodon Alto Wind Farm - 200 MW - San Patricio, TX
- Heartland Divide II Wind Farm - 200 MW - Aubudon, IA
- Plymouth Wind Farm Project - 200 MW - Plymouth, IA
