ing a record-breaking year of capacity additions in 2009 – with 9.8 GW of wind projects installed – the U.S. wind market finds itself confronting a growth-constrained 2010 and a near-term market landscape wrought with increased competition, according to a new market study, ‘U.S. Wind Power Markets and Strategies: 2010-2025,’ conducted by IHS Emerging Energy Research. However, the U.S. wind industry is on track to add more than 165 GW of new capacity through 2025, resulting in a total installed base of 200 GW, according to the study's projections. The study forecasts anywhere from 6.3 GW to 7.1 GW of wind to be installed this year – 40% to 60% lower than 2009 installations. "2010 marks the first time since 2004 that the U.S. wind industry will not surpass the previous year's growth level,’ says IHS Senior Analyst Matthew Kaplan, one of the study's authors. ‘Despite unprecedented federal wind incentives, reverberations from the financial crisis continue to create a difficult near-term market landscape, especially in light of continued energy policy uncertainty. However, the U.S. wind market is poised to emerge from this near-term uncertainty with a clearer path toward strong future growth.’ The U.S. wind industry will represent $330 billion in investments between 2010 and 2025, with more than 90% stemming from onshore wind, according to the study's projections. The Midwest, Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states will act as major wind export hubs to areas with large appetites for renewables, including California, the Mid-Atlantic and the South. While the U.S. is closer than ever to tapping into its enormous offshore potential with the expected completion of the Cape Wind project in 2013, offshore wind is expected to account for only 5% of total U.S. wind installations in 2025. As heightened transmission congestion and waning utility demand for wind have strained growth in traditional wind hot spots – including Texas, Minnesota and California – developers have been forced to prospect states with less prolific resources and more arduous development conditions, the study says. SOURCE: [link=http://www.ihs.com]IHS[/
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