Breezing ahead to 2030: A wind energy plan that could save billions

Wind energy could increase to 20 percent of the total electricity supply by 2030, according to a report conducted by the Department of Energy (DOE), which would create 500,000 jobs. A panel of energy experts in conjunction with the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus held a briefing on the finds of the report.

The plan, “20% Wind Energy by 2030,” has a variety of possible outcomes: by 2030, $98 billion would be spared in carbon dioxide regulation, water consumption for hydroelectric energy would drop 17 percent, and $1.5 billion in revenue would be gained for communities across the country.

Jim Walker, Vice Chairman of the Board at enXco, referred to the United States as the “Saudi Arabia of wind” because the United States has one of the most abundant supplies of wind available for energy conversion. Walker said areas such as Oklahoma and the Dakotas are ideal for wind energy. Other states, such as a California, have specialized areas of ideal wind capacity, so certain regions do not have strong enough wind for conversion.

Construction of new transmission infrastructure could fix this problem. A network of new power lines from coast to coast could transfer energy from places of high wind capacity to those of low capacity.

Greg Wetstone, Senior Director of Governmental and Public Affairs for the American Wind Energy Association, said solving the energy problem is a bipartisan agenda. From Green Peace and the Sierra Club on the left to the Edison Electrical Institute and National Association of Rural Electric on the right, there are allies on both sides, Wetstone said.