The annual Distributed Wind Market Report provides stakeholders with statistics and analysis of the distributed wind market— which includes power from wind turbines installed near where the power will be used—along with insight into U.S. trends and characteristics.
The 2024 edition of the report analyzes distributed wind projects of all sizes and details the U.S. small wind market for the 2023 calendar year.
Distributed Wind Market Report: 2024 Edition
Key Findings
Expansive Power
Cumulative U.S. distributed wind capacity installed from 2003 through 2023 now stands at 1,110 megawatts (MW) from over 92,000 wind turbines across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.
Increased Funding Leads to More Small Wind Turbines Installed
The capacity, number in turbines, and funding amounts added in 2023 for small wind deployed in the United States increased compared to previous years. In 2023, 1,994 small wind turbines were installed representing $15.2 million of funding. In the previous two years, 1,745 turbines were installed in 2022 representing $14.6 million of funding and 1,742 turbines installed in 2021 representing $9.2 million of funding.
Year | Amount of capacity | Small wind turbines installed | Amount of funding |
2021 | 1.8 MW | 1,742 | $9.2 million |
2022 | 2.3 MW | 1,745 | $14.6 million |
2023 | 2.3 MW | 1,994 | $15.2 million |
Policy Support Leads to Growth in Distributed Wind Funding
Recent policy support from a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) highlights the increased funding in renewable energy technologies, including wind energy. With support from the historic Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, underutilized technologies such as distributed wind energy saw a significant increase in financial funding. The USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) allocated over $303 million set aside for underutilized technologies and technical assistance, leading to an opportunity for the distributed wind market to expand and grow.
In 2024, DOE and USDA launched the Rural and Agricultural Income and Savings from Renewable Energy (RAISE) Initiative, a joint effort with the goal of helping farmers cut costs and increase income through REAP-supported distributed wind projects.
This is an E3120 at a small farm. While Endurance is out of business, folks like Gary Harcourt and Ian Sleger of All Energy Management are busy refurbishing these machines all over the world. Location: Edgartown, Massachusetts
Photo: Gary Harcourt / Great Rock Windpower
December 14, 2025
Learn More
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