DOE Releases Annual Clean Energy Market Reports
Reports find continued growth in manufacturing and deployment of wind energy, advanced vehicles and fuel cell technology.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released three 2010 market reports that detail the market conditions and trends for wind energy, advanced vehicles, and fuel cell technologies. Taken together, the three reports illustrate growth in deployment and manufacturing across all three technologies-improving the nation’s global competitiveness in the clean energy economy and creating clean tech jobs for U.S. workers.
The “2010 Wind Technologies Market Report,” produced by the DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, analyzes trends in wind power capacity, manufacturing, performance and costs. The results indicate that wind energy installations comprised 25% of new U.S. electricity capacity additions in 2010, representing $11 billion in new investments and enough new capacity to power roughly 1.3 million homes. The report also notes that U.S. manufacturing of wind turbine components continues to increase, with domestically produced goods used in U.S. wind power projects reaching approximately 68% in 2009-2010, up from 52% in 2005-2006. Another key finding from the report is a 33% decline in wind turbine prices since 2008. The report predicts that current turbine prices and improved turbine performance will drive the cost of wind energy down further in the coming years.
The “2010 Fuel Cell Technologies Market Report,” produced by the Breakthrough Technologies Institute, provides an overview of trends in the fuel cell industry, including product shipments, market development and corporate performance. The report indicates continued growth in commercial deployments, especially material handling equipment like forklifts and lift trucks, combined heat and power (CHP), and backup and auxiliary power unit (APU) applications. The report shows that fuel cell costs continue to fall, noting that the high-volume cost of automotive fuel cells declined to $51 per kilowatt, an 80% reduction since 2002. Commercial sales continue to grow as the number of fuel cell units shipped from North America quadrupled between 2008 and 2010. With increasing market penetration, falling costs, and significant improvements in performance and durability, positive trends in the fuel cells market are expected to continue into 2011 and beyond.
Earlier this year, the DOE and its Oak Ridge National Laboratory released the “2010 Vehicle Technologies Market Report,” which documents trends in fuel efficiency, component suppliers, and the overall market for alternative fuel vehicles. The report finds that, in the past five years, car manufacturers have produced cars that are more energy efficient, incorporated innovative lightweight materials, built cleaner-burning engines, and deployed new hybrid electric systems that reduce the need for traditional petroleum-based fuels. The report also predicts that the number of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in HEVs will rise significantly with increases in production, particularly in battery manufacturing. Hybridization and efficiency improvements show the most promise for reducing heavy truck fuel consumption in the coming years.
For more information, visit www.eere.energy.gov.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released three 2010 market reports that detail the market conditions and trends for wind energy, advanced vehicles, and fuel cell technologies. Taken together, the three reports illustrate growth in deployment and manufacturing across all three technologies-improving the nation’s global competitiveness in the clean energy economy and creating clean tech jobs for U.S. workers.
The “2010 Wind Technologies Market Report,” produced by the DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, analyzes trends in wind power capacity, manufacturing, performance and costs. The results indicate that wind energy installations comprised 25% of new U.S. electricity capacity additions in 2010, representing $11 billion in new investments and enough new capacity to power roughly 1.3 million homes. The report also notes that U.S. manufacturing of wind turbine components continues to increase, with domestically produced goods used in U.S. wind power projects reaching approximately 68% in 2009-2010, up from 52% in 2005-2006. Another key finding from the report is a 33% decline in wind turbine prices since 2008. The report predicts that current turbine prices and improved turbine performance will drive the cost of wind energy down further in the coming years.
The “2010 Fuel Cell Technologies Market Report,” produced by the Breakthrough Technologies Institute, provides an overview of trends in the fuel cell industry, including product shipments, market development and corporate performance. The report indicates continued growth in commercial deployments, especially material handling equipment like forklifts and lift trucks, combined heat and power (CHP), and backup and auxiliary power unit (APU) applications. The report shows that fuel cell costs continue to fall, noting that the high-volume cost of automotive fuel cells declined to $51 per kilowatt, an 80% reduction since 2002. Commercial sales continue to grow as the number of fuel cell units shipped from North America quadrupled between 2008 and 2010. With increasing market penetration, falling costs, and significant improvements in performance and durability, positive trends in the fuel cells market are expected to continue into 2011 and beyond.
Earlier this year, the DOE and its Oak Ridge National Laboratory released the “2010 Vehicle Technologies Market Report,” which documents trends in fuel efficiency, component suppliers, and the overall market for alternative fuel vehicles. The report finds that, in the past five years, car manufacturers have produced cars that are more energy efficient, incorporated innovative lightweight materials, built cleaner-burning engines, and deployed new hybrid electric systems that reduce the need for traditional petroleum-based fuels. The report also predicts that the number of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in HEVs will rise significantly with increases in production, particularly in battery manufacturing. Hybridization and efficiency improvements show the most promise for reducing heavy truck fuel consumption in the coming years.
For more information, visit www.eere.energy.gov.
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