Competitive Electric Power from Renewable Energy
- About 10% of U.S. electricity comes from hydropower.
- The cost of producing electricity from wind power has dropped from 80 cents per kilowatt-hour in 1980 (in current dollars) to 5 to 7 cents today.
- More than 75% of the nation's renewable energy is generated by hydropower.
- Wind energy is the fastest-growing energy generation technology, expanding by 30% to 40% annually.
- Commercial wind energy systems are currently installed in 34 states.
The Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program is leading the Nation's efforts to improve wind energy technology so that it can generate competitive electricity in areas with lower wind resources, and to develop new, cost-effective, advanced hydropower technologies that will have enhanced environmental performance and greater energy efficiencies.
Through program-sponsored research and development activities, the Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program enables greater use of two abundant domestic resources for electric power generation, helping stabilize energy costs, enhancing energy security, and improving our environment.
Competitively selected, cost-shared research and development projects with industry, performed in partnership with federal, state, industry, and other stakeholder groups, are the primary mechanisms for program execution.
Most wind energy research is carried out at world-class facilities located at DOE's National Wind Technology Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in cooperation with Sandia National Laboratories. Hydropower research is conducted at Idaho National Energy and Environmental Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Learn more about the specific missions and goals for water power and wind energy research.