U.S. becomes "Number One" in wind

U.S. becomes "Number One" in wind: During the summer of 2008, the U.S. wind industry launched past the 20,000-megawatt (MW) installed capacity milestone, achieving in two years what had previously taken two decades (the 10,000-MW mark was reached in 2006). Also this summer, the U.S. passed Germany to become the world leader in wind generation. By the end of September, the U.S. had over 21,000 MW of wind capacity up and running. With additional projects coming on line every week since, the wind industry is on its way to charting another record-shattering year of growth. That 21,000 MW of capacity will generate over 60 billion kWh of electricity in 2009, enough to serve over 5.5 million American homes and eliminating the burning of

• 30.4 million short tons of coal (enough to fill two 1,000-mile-long coal trains), 91 million barrels of oil per year, or
• 560 Bcf of natural gas (about 9% of the natural gas used for electricity generation).

"Wind energy installations are well ahead of the curve for contributing 20% of the U.S. electric power supply by 2030 as envisioned by the U.S. Department of Energy." -- AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher

 

60,000 domestic employees and counting: Wind power continued to provide a critically important stimulus to the faltering U.S. economy this year. In the midst of the economic meltdown, the wind industry remained a bright spot as at least 50 new, expanded or announced wind-related manufacturing facilities were noted all across the nation. Between the first quarter and third quarter of 2008, this expansion created 9,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. Also, in 2008, the wind industry invested more than $15 billion in domestic wind farm construction, which added thousands more domestic employees in construction and operations.
"Interest in continuing to pursue opportunities in Ohio has not diminished as far as [the wind] industry is concerned. I believe that there is a sense that this is one industry that has a bright future and it is full steam ahead." – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland

 

Town Turns To Wind Energy - CBS News Video

 

State Total Power Capacities
The following data is sorted by state "rank".
State Total Energy Rankings, 2013

http://www.eia.gov/state/

 

Follow the link to the following map, it shows installed megawatts (MW) for each state. Click on the shaded states to access information on existing and under construction wind energy projects.

WINDExchange: U.S. Installed Wind Capacity




This projects data includes wind power project sites that are currently in operation or are under construction. Information is primarily from AWEA member companies and is updated on a quarterly basis. AWEA business members interested in learning more about projects earlier in the development process, please access the projects site through the members-only section of the web site. Landowners interested in contacting a project developer, please access our member directory. Press should contact Christine Real de Azua at Christine@awea.org . Prospective members interested in learning about the wind energy market, please contact Kathy Belyeu at Kathy Belyeu .

 

By directly reducing the use of fossil fuels, wind energy significantly reduces emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) and other harmful pollutants. A number of detailed power system studies, as well as real-world experience with wind plants, have demonstrated that wind energy significantly reduces fossil fuel use and emissions:​

•In 2007, wind energy in the U.S. reduced CO2 emissions by over 28 million tons, equivalent to taking almost 5 million cars off the road. On average, each Megawatthour (MWh) of wind energy – the amount produced by two typical modern wind turbines in an average hour – reduces CO2 emissions by 1,200 pounds.​

• The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) 20% Wind Energy by 2030 Technical Report calculated that obtaining 20% of our electricity from wind energy by 2030 would cut cumulative CO2 emissions by over 7.6 billion tons.

1•The DOE report found CO2 emissions would be reduced by over 825 million tons in the year 2030 alone, an amount equal to 25% of all electric sector carbon dioxide emissions in that year--the equivalent of taking 140 million cars off the road.​

•The DOE study also found that wind energy would cut the amount of natural gas used for electricity generation by 50% in 2030.​

• A study by the grid operator in Texas found similar results, concluding that adding 3,000 megawatts (MW) of wind energy to the state’s grid would reduce CO2 emissions by about 5.5 million tons per year, sulfur dioxide emissions by about 4,000 tons per year, and nitrogen oxide emissions by about 2,000 tons per year.

2• In regions where a large share of electricity comes from coal power, the emissions savings of wind energy can be even larger. A DOE analysis found that Indiana could reduce CO2 emissions by 3.1 million tons per year by adding 1,000 MW of wind power.
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3•The 30 MW Kaheawa wind plant in Hawaii directly offsets power from oil-burning power plants, reducing oil imports by almost 10 million gallons per year.

 

UFO takes out a wind turbine -
http://english.sina.com/video/2009/0108/210391.html