Unlike many other industries in 2020, the wind industry grew dramatically, though not as much as predicted, admittedly. By June alone, 3.5 gigawatts of new wind farms were opened, showing that the need for wind energy and renewable resources is continuing to be a priority in America and around the world.
With 2020 coming to an end, people are looking towards the trends for the upcoming year. Because of the pandemic and overall instability of 2020, it looks like 2021 will be an incredibly important year for wind energy. Here are the five biggest trends in wind energy heading into the new year:
1. Rebounding from the Pandemic
After the pandemic hit, many renewable energy products, including both solar and wind, were postponed temporarily. Many onshore wind installations were already financed before the pandemic, but not all were constructed. In 2021, it is expected that the capacity levels will rebound to reach those of 2019 before the pandemic began.
The Traverse Wind Energy Center, Goodnight Wind Energy Project, and Aviator Wind Project are just three US wind projects that are starting in the upcoming year.
2. More Political Involvement
As the President-Elect Joe Biden comes into office, we can expect wind energy to be more supported by the government and political initiatives. More specifically, it is expected that the government and businesses will work more closely together in order to support renewables like wind energy. When these two sectors start to work together, we can expect wind energy to become more and more effective and useful.
3. Move Towards Large Capacity Turbines
In 2021, it is expected that the capacity of wind turbines will increase substantially. For example, GE Renewable Energy intends to deploy what will be the world’s most powerful offshore turbine in 2021. It is expected to produce 45% more electricity than any of the largest offshore wind turbines today.
GE Renewable Energy is not the only large-capacity turbine to be built. All around the world, countries are planning to add turbines with high power to aid their renewable energy output.
4. Increase in Jobs
Because of the pandemic, this year has been incredibly bad for unemployment. In 2021, it is expected that the employment levels should rise in general, but wind energy, in particular, should be looking to fill many positions. The Wind Vision Report expects the need for wind turbine technicians to grow by 61% by 2029. This statistic doesn’t even include other jobs related to wind energy.
5. Wind Energy and Social Justice
2020 was filled with an enhanced focus on social justice. Sparked by the death of George Floyd, people across the world joined together to support the Black community and show the need for social justice intervention.
With 2020 being such a critical year for social justice movements, many people predict that social justice movements will start to have a bigger focus on renewable resources like wind energy in the year to come.
Underrepresented populations are at the most risk for experiencing the side effects of climate changes. As a result, social justice initiatives are starting to incorporate wind energy and other renewable resources into their structure and agenda.
Final Thoughts
Even though 2020 has largely been a year of challenges and change, we can look forward to the year ahead knowing that renewable resources and wind energy are on the rise. If you expect to need a job or worker within the wind energy industry in the upcoming year, contact Anistar Technologies. Anistar Technologies is a leading national infrastructure staffing company that provides the best staffing, networking, and employment opportunities in the US.
