Wind Energy’s Critical Role in Addressing Climate Change

Thanks to continuing cost declines that have driven record deployment, wind energy is making critical contributions to addressing climate change. With more than 40% declines in the cost of wind energy over the last several years, there are now 60 GW of wind installed in the U.S., reducing carbon emissions by around 100 million tons per year. Utilities are now reliably integrating large amounts of wind energy at lower integration costs than they face for conventional power plants. Long-needed reforms to grid operating procedures and transmission cost allocation policies are paving the way for wind energy’s continued growth, if Congress provides wind energy with the stable policy support provided to other energy technologies.