The volume installed this year will in fact be as high as during 2015 and 2016, he said.
Hensley spoke at AWEA’s recent wind energy finance and investment conference in San Francisco, California.
As of the end of the third quarter, wind projects under construction or in advanced development were as high as the end of Q2 in June, he added.
That is despite the 2GW Wind Catcher project being cancelled in late July because of regulatory delays. "We will make up for it," he said.
At the end of the second quarter, almost 38GW was either under construction or in advanced development, according to AWEA.
| Year | US Capacity Additions |
| 2013 | 1.1GW |
| 2014 | 4.9GW |
| 2015 | 8.6GW |
| 2016 | 8.2GW |
| 2017 | 7GW |
| 2018 (predicted) | 8-9GW |
There is an installation boom under way in the US right now as developers rush to qualify projects for the Production Tax Credit, as it is phased out.
Some 4.6GW of utility power purchase agreements (PPAs) have been signed so far this year, said Hensley, more than in any year since AWEA started tracking the trend in 2013.
Corporate energy users have so far signed more than 2.7GW.
