While still a small component of overall energy output in the US (0.3%), wind energy is the fastest growing energy source in the country. In 1981, the capacity of US wind energy installations was only 10 MW. By 2000, capacity had reached 2,554 MW. In 2004, 16,000 utility-scale wind turbines were operating in 30 states with a capacity of approximately 6,370 MW. The wind industry’s goal is to supply 6% of America’s electrical energy by 2020.

Fourteen states have already adopted Renewable Portfolio Standards requiring utilities to use a specified portion of renewable energy in their electrical supply. Federal legislation is pending, which would require 10% of energy nationwide to come from renewable sources by 2020. In January, 2007, the U.S. House of Reps. introduced legislation to revoke about $16 billion in subsidies for the oil and gas industry (and use the savings for renewable energy R&D). Currently, California requires that 20% of electrical use come from renewable sources by 2017, and New York has set the bar at 25% by 2012.

Benefits of wind power

Wind is one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources in the world. The American Wind Energy Association provides the following information about the benefits of wind:

• Because it displaces other, more damaging energy sources, wind energy development protects air and water quality, helps fight global warming, and displaces mining and drilling for natural gas, coal, and other fuels.
• To generate the same amount of electricity as today's U.S. wind turbine fleet (more than 10,000 MW) would require burning more than 12 million tons of coal (a line of 10-ton trucks over 4,500 miles long) or 40 million barrels of oil each year.
• A single 1.5-megawatt turbine offsets 13 tons of sulfur dioxide and 6 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions each year.
• A single 1-MW turbine displaces 1,800 tons of carbon dioxide, the primary global warming pollutant, each year (equivalent to planting a square mile of forest), based on the current average U.S. utility fuel mix. Wind energy development helps provide cleaner air and healthier habitat for wildlife.