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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

NREL Triples Previous Estimates of U.S. Wind Power Potential (Fact Sheet)

Program Document ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1020606· OSTI ID:1020606
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently released new estimates of the U.S. potential for wind-generated electricity, using advanced wind mapping and validation techniques to triple previous estimates of the size of the nation's wind resources. The new study, conducted by NREL and AWS TruePower, finds that the contiguous 48 states have the potential to generate up to 37 milliongigawatt-hours annually. In comparison, the total U.S. electricity generation from all sources was roughly 4 million gigawatt-hours in 2009.
Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
DOE Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1020606
Report Number(s):
NREL/FS-6A42-51555
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English