The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) released its Q4 2015 market report (PDF) in January, and it contained a surprise. “Approximately 75 percent of the megawatts contracted through PPAs [power purchase agreements] during the fourth quarter were through companies including Procter & Gamble, General Motors, and Google Energy,” noted the report.
AWEA’s CEO, Tom Kiernan, says, “Increasing demand from these buyers has created a promising new market for clean, low-cost wind energy.” In fact, non-utility customers accounted for 52 percent of last year’s total of over 4,000 MW of wind PPAs. Non-utility customers include some universities and city governments, but the vast majority are corporations.
