Wind energy is the fastest growing source of power on the planet! (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)
To generate the same amount of electricity as a single 1-MW wind turbine for 20 years would require burning 29,000 tons of coal or 92,000 barrels of oil and withdrawing on average 60 million gallons of water per year from a stream or river! (American Wind Energy Association [AWEA] & Natural Resources Defense Council [NRDC])
The first large-scale electricity-producing windmill was installed in 1941 at Grandpa’s Knob, on the border of Castleton and West Rutland, Vermont. The windmill was the world’s largest at the time and was built to take advantage of New England’s strong winds. (New England Wind Forum)
Total U.S. wind energy capacity was 11,600 MW at the end of 2006. To produce this much electricity would require the burning of over 15 million tons of coal! (AWEA)
Texas and California lead the way with over 2000 MW of capacity each. (AWEA)
Maine is among the top 20 states for best wind energy potential, and ranks highest in New England. (AWEA) As much as 2000 MW of wind power might be cost-effective to build at today’s electricity prices. (Maine Public Utilities Commission)
Since 1999, wind energy has infused the Texas economy with over $1 billion in capital investment, providing new income sources to farmers, ranchers, and local communities. (Sierra Club)
Florida Power & Light’s 735 MW Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in Texas shattered records for the country’s and the world’s most productive wind farm. (AWEA)
Only about a dozen of the 140 new coal-fired power plants on the drawing board in the U.S. would use the cleaner coal technology; many would use technology from the 1980’s. These coal-fired power plants will continue to emit mercury, while wind turbines emit no mercury or other air pollutants. (NY Times)
Over a third of the world’s electricity needs, including for industry, could be supplied by wind energy by the middle of this century. Generating 34 percent of our electricity needs from wind would keep 113 billion tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere by 2050. (Greenpeace)
In 2005, a total of 11,531 MW of new capacity was installed worldwide to give a global total of 59,084 MW of wind power capacity. (Greenpeace Wind Energy Outlook)
Denmark already gets 20 percent of its electricity from wind power. (Yes2Wind)
In Spain, 8 percent of electricity is supplied by wind today and will rise to 15 percent by the end of the decade. (Greenpeace)
Germany had the highest total installed wind capacity in 2005, with 18,428 MW. (European Wind Energy Association)
The current goal for wind power in China is to reach 5,000 MW by the end of 2010 and 30 GW of wind power by 2020. (Greenpeace)
The UK’s first commercial wind farm, located in Cornwall, received 350,000 visitors in its first 8 years of operation. (Yes2Wind)
In Egypt, an area of 700 km2 at Gabal El-Zayt on the Suez Gulf is planned to host a 3,000 MW wind farm. (Greenpeace)
Turbines today can be manufactured with a generating capacity of over 5 MW, with rotor diameters of over 100 meters. This means fewer turbines are required to achieve the same power output, saving land use. A single 1 MW turbine can provide enough electricity for up to 650 households! (Greenpeace)
Wind turbines also come in smaller sizes for individual households or communities, ranging from 5 kW to 15 kW. (Northeast Sustainable Energy Association)
As many as 215,000 new jobs would be created by adding 50,000 MW of new wind projects in the U.S. This $50 billion investment could provide electricity for as many as 15 million homes and 39 million people! (AWEA)
Farmers and ranchers can use wind power as a new “crop,” earning $2,000 per year in lease payments per turbine. A single turbine takes up less than a quarter of an acre, including access roads, and farmers can grow crops or ranchers can graze livestock right up to the base of the turbines. Wind helps to keep many farms and ranches operating when they are hit by falling commodity prices. (Sierra Club)
At good locations wind can compete with the cost of both coal- and gas-fired power plants. If the “external costs” associated with the pollution and health effects from fossil fuel and nuclear power generation are considered, wind power comes out far ahead. (Greenpeace)
As of December 31, 2004, more than 6,700 MW of wind power capacity was online in the U.S. – generating the same output as 6 average-size coal or 3 large nuclear power plants. To produce the same amount of electricity with the average U.S. electricity mix results in the emission of 11 million tons of CO2, 55,000 tons of SO2, 26,000 tons of NOx, and other pollutants such as mercury! (AWEA)
Wind energy provides more jobs per dollar invested than any other energy technology! (US Dept of Energy, 2006)