On August 30, 2021, the Department of Energy (DOE) released the 2021 editions of three wind market reports: Land Based Wind Market Report[1], Offshore Wind Market Report[2], and Distributed Wind Market Report[3]. According to the reports, wind energy accounted for 42% of all new capacity additions in 2020, beating solar, which accounted for 38%. The Land Based Wind Market Report found that a record 16,836 MW of onshore wind was added in 2020. DOE analysts project that wind capacity will continue to grow rapidly in 2021, with expected additions of 13 GW-16GW. In 2022 and 2023, additions will slow before rebounding to 11−13 GW in 2024 and 2025 due to the scheduled expiration of the federal production tax credit (PTC) and anticipated growth in offshore wind in the mid-2020s.

The offshore wind project development and operational pipeline grew by 24% in 2020, from 28,521 MW in 2019 to 35,324 MW in 2020. This figure includes two operating projects—the 30 MW Block Island Wind Farm and the 12 MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot project—as well as Vineyard Wind 1, an 800 MW project that has been fully approved and received all permits. The DOE report cites several factors as drivers of this growth, including increasing state-level procurement targets in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, an increased number of projects clearing major permitting milestones, and growing vessel, port, and infrastructure investments needed to keep up with the pace of development.

[1] https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/land-based-wind-market-report-2021-edition-released

[2] https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/offshore-wind-market-report-2021-edition-released

[3] https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/distributed-wind-market-report-2021-edition-released