Why Does Wind Energy Get Wasted?

To understand wind curtailment, the Union of Concerned Scientists and Synapse Energy Economics conducted an in-depth analysis of wind supply in Southwest Power Pool, which stretches from Texas to North Dakota.

We found a consistent pattern of US grid operators reducing the output of wind turbines—and yet we found no instances where wind energy supply could have exceeded demand.

This provides strong evidence that wind curtailment is not occurring because of "oversupply," but because of other issues—such as inflexible fossil fuel plants, transmission capacity constraints, and a lack of storage. Resolving these issues would save significant money and cut the region's carbon emissions.