It isn’t all bad news for US wind—installations jumped nearly 50% last year. (WoodMac)
By the numbers: 2025 delivered 8.2 GW, with roughly 11 GW forecast for 2026 and 48 GW projected through 2030 (mostly onshore wind). A 15.4-GW pipeline of new capacity has already passed commercial hurdles, pointing to incoming growth despite federal opposition, soaring costs, and permitting challenges.
The West leads this year at 64% of connections, driven largely by Pattern Energy’s 3.5-GW SunZia project in NM. The Midwest is set to peak next year, and Texas may claim the top spot in 2028 with around 2.5 GW.
Yes, but: Department of Defense permit reviews are a binding constraint—the backlog of turbines awaiting determination grew more than 5X in 2025 to nearly 5K. And the lawsuit we mentioned earlier doesn’t cover DoD-driven delays.