Wind Manufacturing and Supply Chain
The U.S. wind market has a complex supply chain. There are more than 500 U.S. manufacturing facilities specializing in wind components such as blades, towers, and generators, as well as turbine assembly across the country. Since 1999, the average generating capacity of newly installed wind turbines has more than doubled to 3 MW.
Advancements in composite materials, automation, and more efficient manufacturing processes have helped domestic manufacturers dramatically increase productivity throughout the past decade. The wind supply chain that has developed in the United States has increased the domestic content of wind turbines installed in the United States, with over 80% of nacelle assembly and up to 70% of tower manufacturing occurring in the United States for turbines installed here.
As the size and complexity of wind turbines grow, so do the manufacturing process requirements and component transportation costs, which in turn increase the need for local manufacturers who can overcome technical and logistical challenges. The average utility-scale wind turbine contains roughly 8,000 parts, including blades up to 100 meters (over 300 feet) in length and towers around 94 meters (308 feet) high, roughly the height of the Statue of Liberty. New towers are being made even taller to capture stronger winds at higher elevations.
In February 2022, DOE released a series of reports on American manufacturing supply chains, reviewing both the obstacles to a reliable supply of key materials and opportunities for improvement.
The wind report covers components, processed and raw materials, recycling, digital products, and the wind industry workforce. It discusses U.S. wind industry competitiveness, includes a supply-chain risk assessment, and lists opportunities for private-sector collaboration to address vulnerabilities and enhance competitiveness.
The open-source Renewable Energy Materials Properties Database, released in August 2023, provides a comprehensive compilation of the type, quantity, country of origin, source, significant uses, projected availability, and physical properties of materials used by wind (as well as solar) power technologies.
