The US is sitting on 161 GW in underused wind farm capacity

        March 30, 2026 CleanTechnica | United States | renewables: wind

Older wind turbines can be repowered (more efficient rotors, blades) to add 161 GW US wind capacity without more land or permitting (21% instead of 11% demand). Taller towers and new layouts also increase capacity and reduce costs. Today, 1,400 utility-scale wind farms provide 158 GW. On one site, 132 WTs were cut to 78, adding 71 MW to reach 335 MW.