In just a few short decades wind energy has matured dramatically, making wind one of the fastest growing sources of electricity in the world today. Due to technological advancements, policy initiatives, and economic drivers, wind energy is now able to make a cost-competitive contribution to our growing energy needs.

Wind Turbine Technology
Turbines today are sleek and slender machines, a far cry from their bucolic wooden ancestors. Around the world, wind turbines of all sizes have become a familiar sight; ranging from home or farm-scale machines of 1 kilowatt (kW), all the way up to arrays of large 3 megawatt (MW) machines.

Modern wind turbines are up to the task of producing serious amounts of electricity. A popular sized machine in the U.S. today is a state-of-the-art 2 MW turbine that stands as tall as a 30-story building and costs roughly $3.5 million installed. With a good wind resource, this size turbine can produce 6 million kWh of electricity each year, or enough energy to run 600 average American households.

Wind Energy Around the Globe
Turbines are sprouting up around the globe in record numbers every year. In 1999, the world wind industry installed more than 3,900 MW. Four years later, the world installed 8,133 MW of new wind, representing $9 billion of investment. By the end of 2006, there were more than 74,000 MW of wind installed worldwide. Much of that growth was due to cost reductions and progressive government policies.

The pace of growth has been greatest in Europe, where 65% of the new capacity for 2006 was installed. In 2006, Germany had the highest total wind capacity of any country, with 30,621 MW. Spain followed with 11,615 MW, then the U.S. with 11,603 MW, India with 6,270 MW, and Denmark with 3,136 MW.[ii] Much of Europe’s dominance in the wind industry can be attributed to progressive policies and widespread public support. The global installed capacity of wind is forecast to continue its rapid growth, and to reach 136 GW by 2010.[i]

Wind Energy in the United States
Total wind capacity in the United States reached 11,603 MW by the end of 2006, with large scale wind turbines operating in 34 states. For 2007, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) predicts that we will have the biggest year yet, with an estimated 3,000 MW of new installed capacity. We still have a long way to go, however, as wind’s potential in the U.S. is huge. Recently, President Bush stated that the U.S. could meet 20% of our electricity needs with wind energy. Currently, wind only accounts for around 0.2% of the U.S. energy supply.

According to AWEA, Texas has the most wind power installed, with 2,768 MW, but California is close behind with 2,361 MW. Iowa remains in third place with 936 MW installed, while Minnesota is in fourth with 895 MW, and Washington moves into fifth place with 818 MW (see map). Minnesota continues to lead the nation in community wind.

Much of the growth in wind energy around the world and in the U.S. can be attributed to progressive public policies. Future growth will likely come from wind farms, which are typically large arrays of turbines owned and operated by wind companies, but significant contributions can be made by small clusters of turbines or even single turbines, operated by local landowners, small businesses, and community wind projects.

The Future of Wind Energy
Technological advancements and supportive policy measures have the ability to drastically increase the future of wind energy development in our nation and our world. Wind power has the unique ability to provide even greater sources of distributed energy production, which means less risk and a stronger energy portfolio. America’s ingenuity and drive for independence are well suited to increased wind energy development in the future. Stay tuned to advancements at industry and policy levels as wind energy continues to grow.

Next Topic: Why Wind Energy?

Resources:

i. Wind Power Report, Ed 3, 2006.
ii. http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=30&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[pointer]=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=50&tx_ttnews[backPid]=4&cHash=e42cb8b763

Other wind basic fact sheets in series:

* Wind Energy Today and Tomorrow
* Why Wind Energy
* Introduction to Wind Development
* Know your Wind
* Know your Land
* Know your Business Structure
* Know your Economics
* Know your Options