A MAJOR study shows that 20% wind is possible in the US by the early-2020s, subject to major upgrade works that parallel those needed in the UK. The US Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has completed its massive Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study (EWITS).
This unprecedented two-and-a-half-year technical study of future high-penetration wind scenarios was designed to analyse the economic, operational and technical implications of shifting 20% or more of the US Eastern Interconnection’s electrical load to wind energy by the year 2024 – both on and offshore.