Market Pulse: Wind Fall 2026

Although there has been a lot of turbulence in the wind power markets, land-based and offshore wind remain a powerful and resilient force for powering communities across America. ACP’s Research team has compiled and analyzed data from its members, producing a report that seeks to orient industry professionals to current market conditions, the state of policy, and the evolving technological landscape.

Overall, the outlook on wind power is strong. Presenting a balanced analysis of land-based and offshore wind’s current contributions to the U.S. grid, the report also dives into what the future of wind power holds; most notably, land-based wind capacity is expected to reach 202 GW by 2030, or enough power to supply 58 million homes.

Report Highlights:

• Current land-based and offshore wind capacity is 166 GW as of Q2 2026, generating enough electricity to power 48 million homes.
• Eleven percent of total U.S. electricity was generated by wind in the last 12 months, and 13% of new grid-connected capacity additions through 2030 will be land-based and offshore wind.
• Forty-three states have at least one operational land-based wind project, and 22 states have at least one land-based wind project in the pipeline.
• Iowa led the country in wind power generation, creating 57% of its electricity from land-based wind facilities, while South Dakota closely followed at nearly 56%. Regionally, the Great Plains has the largest share of generation from wind resources with 43%. Texas, as a region, ranks second with 22%, while the Midwest, Mountain West, and Northwest rounded out the top five at 16%, 15%, and 12%, respectively.
• Year-over-year, the land-based wind pipeline dropped 4%, as the pause on federal permits from the U.S. Department of Defense obstructed 310 pre-construction projects from advancing to active construction.

Read the Report:
Download the complete Market Pulse: Wind Fall 2026 for detailed state-by-state analysis, technology deep-dives, and comprehensive market data.

Market Pulse Reports:

ACP’s Market Pulse series are member-only, technology-specific reports intended to serve as a resource hub for the latest ACP data, analysis, and forecasting. The reports utilize data from the ACP Research Team’s latest Quarterly Market Reports, in-house outlooks, and subject matter expert insights to offer deep-dives and new perspectives on a single renewable energy technology.

Market Pulse reports are a living toolbox for ACP members to utilize for policy, advocacy, education, and more. The reports include technology-specific infographics, maps, data visualizations, and trending topic spotlights to be shared and referenced.

The full Market Pulse: Wind Fall 2026 report is available for ACP members.

Individuals who are not members of ACP can explore the infographic and other ACP resources in our resource library.

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Last updated: October 15, 2026