The 11th annual Cost of Wind Energy Review, now presented in slide deck format, uses representative utility-scale and distributed wind energy projects to estimate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for land-based and offshore wind power plants in the United States.
Larger turbine blades harvest more energy, which has helped reduce the cost of wind power by 60% in the decade to 2021, according to the International Energy Agency.
The typical wind turbine is 2-3 MW in power, so most turbines cost in the $2-4 million dollar range. Operation and maintenance runs an additional $42,000-$48,000 per year according to research on wind turbine operational cost.
The global weighted average levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) of new onshore wind projects added in 2021 fell by 15%, year‑on‑year, to USD 0.033/kWh, while that of new utility-scale solar PV fell by 13% year-on-year to USD 0.048/kWh and that of offshore wind declined 13% to USD 0.075/kWh.
All estimates for wind power include the cost of purchasing capital and paying for operations and maintenance (O&M) of wind turbines. For the studies we examined, capital costs ranged from $48 to $88 per megawatt-hour, while O&M costs ranged from $9.8 to $21 per megawatt-hour.
Wind turbine prices have steeply declined from levels seen a decade ago, from $1,800/kW in 2008 to $770–$850 per kilowatt (kW) now. The health and climate benefits of wind energy installed in 2020 were valued at $76 per MWh, far greater than the cost of wind energy.
These figures include wind turbine (e.g., wind turbine components), balance of system (e.g., development, electrical infrastructure, assembly, and installation), and financial costs (e.g., insurance and construction financing).
U.S. wind energy continued to grow in 2021, providing low-cost clean energy to millions of Americans. Three market reports released by the U.S. Department of Energy detail trends in wind development, technology, cost, and performance through the end of 2021 (and in offshore wind through May 2022).
The Long-Term Costs of Wind Turbines. Summary. Wind energy is experiencing a boom, but in a pattern eerily reminiscent of the nineteenth century Pennsylvania oil boom, wind farms are
The 12th annual Cost of Wind Energy Review, now presented as a slide deck, uses representative utility-scale and distributed wind energy projects to estimate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for land-based and offshore wind power plants in the United States.