What Can Wind Do About Global Warming?

The following information is from a fact sheet we will be releasing soon.

The United States has one of the most abundant wind energy resources in the world. If the U.S. takes advantage of this clean, renewable, domestic, available, and vastly deployable energy source, it can take one large step closer to addressing global warming and achieving emission reductions...today.

Adding clean generation from wind energy means we need less generation from other types of energy, including natural gas, coal and sometimes oil.

On average, every additional megawatt-hour produced by wind energy means 1,220 pounds of CO2 are not emitted into our environment.

How much can wind really do to fight global warming?

A recent study from the National Academies of Science (NAS) reports that adding another 60 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy by 2020, in addition to the 11 GW that we have today, could avoid approximately 130 million tons of CO2 in 2020. This is nearly 30% of expected emission increases by 2020 in the electric sector.

A National Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) of 20% renewable generation by 2020 could avoid almost 100% of expected emission increases in the electric sector with 180 GW of renewable energy, including 130 GW of wind.

Wind Can Reduce CO2, Says Who?

Three transmission and system integration studies estimate how much CO2 wind energy can avoid.

Where and How Much?

New York:
1,256 lbs of CO2/MWh
(New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, NYSERDA)

Midwest:
1,277 lbs of CO2/MWh
(Midwest Independent System Operator, MISO)

Texas:
962 lbs of CO2/MWh
(Electric Reliability Council of Texas, ERCOT)

Copyright 2007 - American Wind Energy Association. May be freely re-transmitted electronically, for non-commercial purposes only, provided this notice is included. All other rights reserved.