United States wind energy policy
There are currently 5,600 MW of projects under construction in 2011. The U.S. Department of Energy's 2011 report "20% Wind Energy by 2030" envisioned that wind power could supply 20% of all U.S. electricity, which included a contribution of 4% from offshore wind power.
Wind power
In the US, wind power receives a production tax credit (PTC) of 1.5¢/kWh in 1993 dollars for each kW·h produced, for the first ten years; at 2.2 cents per kW·h in 2012, the credit was renewed on 2 January 2012, to include construction begun in 2013.
A 30% tax credit can be applied instead of receiving the PTC.
Another tax benefit is accelerated depreciation. Many American states also provide incentives, such as exemption from property tax, mandated purchases, and additional markets for "green credits". The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 contains extensions of credits for wind, including microturbines. Countries such as Canada and Germany also provide incentives for wind turbine construction, such as tax credits or minimum purchase prices for wind generation, with assured grid access (sometimes referred to as feed-in tariffs). These feed-in tariffs are typically set well above average electric power prices.
In December 2013 U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander and other Republican senators argued that the "wind energy production tax credit should be allowed to expire at the end of 2013" and it expired 1 January 2014 for new installations.