Wind energy is a reliable source of renewable energy wherever the wind blows abundantly day and night. Wind turban farms are located offshore, along coast lines with ocean breeze, and inland in many locations where air currents and geography are favored.
Land-based Wind Energy Potential USA
Land-based wind farms have tremendous potential across Indian Country reservations. The United States has a land-based wind energy potential up to 15.1 terawatts. This potential spans across all 50 states and U.S. territories.
Land-Based Wind Energy Potential on Native American Reservations
Native American territories comprise approximately 5.8% of land in the United States and represent an estimated 7.8% of total U.S. wind energy generation potential. Specifically, tribal lands hold the potential for 891 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy.
Offshore Wind Energy Potential in the USA
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wind Vision Report quantified the benefits from up to 22 gigawatts of installed offshore wind by 2030 and 86 gigawatts by 2050. The U.S. offshore wind energy industry has, as of May 2023, a total of almost 53 gigawatts of potential generating capacity in the development and operational pipeline. Furthermore, the 2022 Offshore Wind Resource Assessment conducted by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) determined that offshore wind has 1.5 terawatts of fixed-bottom technical resource potential and 2.8 terawatts of floating offshore wind energy technical resource potential. 7 Generations LLC has extensive experience in working with the DOE, wind developers, Tribes, and community benefits plans, leveraging Tribal sovereignty.
Offshore Wind Energy Potential on Native American Reservations
While there is limited public information available on offshore wind energy potential specifically on Native American reservations, the U.S. Department of Energy has created the Tribal Nation Offshore Wind Transmission Technical Assistance Program. Additionally, 7 Generations LLC has extensive experience in working with the DOE, wind developers, Tribes and community benefits plans.
