Research on strategic importance of non-grid-connected wind power for U.S. energy development

Abstract

In the United States, the cost of wind power generation has declined 20 times since 1982, giving it a price advantage in competition with conventional energy. Therefore, wind power has a much broader prospect. The data indicates that power-generating capacity has increased recently in the USA and has developed quickly, with 50% growth in 2008. By April 30, 2009, installed capacity of wind power accumulated in USA has reached 28635MW and ranks first in the world. Integration of wind power generation is the only way for America to apply large scale wind farms. Volatility, intermittence, and irregularity of wind resources bring the contribution rate of less 10% to the grid, which is a worldwide problem. Therefore, in the next 4-6 years, if large-scale development of wind power in the USA is all connected with the power grid, it will be difficult for the grid to handle, creating a crisis that will be a bottleneck for wind power development in the USA. In response to this worldwide problem, this paper proposes large-scale, non-grid-connected wind power directly used for the USA's wind power development, development of the new USA wind power industry, and the high-energy consumption industry.