U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program
About the Program
Quick Facts about Wind and Water Power
- Hydropower contributes more to electricity generation in the U.S. than any other renewable energy source.
- The United States has 28,206 MW of installed wind power generation, enough to serve more than 8 million homes and avoid the emissions of 52 million tons of carbon dioxide annually (as of April 2009).
- Estimates show that conventional hydropower output could be doubled without building any new dams.
- The cost of producing electricity from wind power has dropped from 80 cents per kilowatt-hour in 1980 (in current dollars) to 5 to 8 cents today.
- Commercial wind energy systems are currently installed in 35 states.
- The ocean waves off the coasts of the United States could supply up to 30,000 MW of energy.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program leads the nation's efforts to improve the performance, lower the costs, and accelerate the deployment of wind and water power technologies. Greater use of the nation's abundant wind and water resources for electric power generation will help stabilize energy costs, enhance energy security, and improve our environment.
The program, working with the Department of Energy's national laboratories, conducts research and development activities through competitively selected, cost-shared research and development projects with industry and in partnership with federal, state, and other stakeholder groups.
Learn more about the Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program:
National laboratories conducting research on wind and water power technologies include:
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