NEP - Will the U.S. Wind Drought Finally End in 2020?
The American power sector passed a number of milestones this year related to the ongoing transition to low- and zero-carbon energy sources. The United States reached 100,000 megawatts of installed onshore wind-power capacity at the end of September. Wind power has eclipsed hydropower as the nation's top source of renewable electricity. And coal-fired power plants are being jettisoned from regional grids at a historic pace or simply being idled.
There's just one big blemish on an otherwise solid 2019: North America has been mired in a wind drought since the middle of 2018. In the first eight months of 2019, the United States generated just 4.3% more electricity from wind farms versus the year-ago period, despite a 10% increase in installed capacity in that span.
That's sapped the benefits of a massive influx in invested capital, and it has reduced earnings for a number of wind-heavy power generators and electric utilities in 2019. But there are signs that the wind drought may be subsiding. Here's why that matters for renewable energy stocks in 2020 and what investors need to watch in the coming months.