Optimism comes from the federal government with the recent Wind Vision report.  This long awaited study analyses past trends and forecasts the position of wind energy in the future.  

KEY FINDINGS OF THE WIND VISION REPORT:

• Wind energy is available nationwide. The Wind Vision Report shows that wind can be a viable source of renewable electricity in all 50 states by 2050.
• Wind supports a strong domestic supply chain. Wind has the potential to support over 600,000 jobs in manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and supporting services by 2050.
• Wind is affordable. As wind generation agreements typically provide 20 year fixed pricing, the electric utility sector is anticipated to be less sensitive to volatility in natural gas and coal fuel prices with more wind. By reducing national vulnerability to price spikes and supply disruptions with long-term pricing, wind is anticipated to save consumers $280 billion by 2050.
• Wind reduces air pollution emissions. Wind energy can help avoid the emission of over 250,000 metric tons of air pollutants, which include sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter, as well as 12.3 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases by 2050.    
• Wind energy preserves water resources. By 2050, wind energy can save 260 billion gallons of water—the equivalent to roughly 400,000 Olympic-size swimming pools—that would have been used by the electric power sector.
• Wind deployment increases community revenues. Local communities will be able to collect additional tax revenue from land lease payments and property taxes, reaching $3.2 billion annually by 2050.

Read more and download the report directly from the US DOE here.