20% Electricity from wind power: An overview

This paper presents the overview of the wind evaluation which over the past two years, a major effort was undertaken in the U.S. to examine the feasibility of providing substantial amounts of electricity to the Nation's electric power system from wind power. A group of nearly100 individuals became engaged in a variety of capacities to consider a prospective picture of 20% electricity from wind by 2030. The U.S. 20% wind evaluation arose through a convergence of strategic thinking among the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and other Federal energy laboratories. In parallel across the Atlantic, significant activities have been underway for several years to address issues associated with high penetrations of wind power. This panel includes reports from two of these efforts: the European Wind Integration Study, and a study of ultra-high wind energy penetration in the isolated island power system of Ireland.