seeing Wind Power in the United States

Wind power is the most rapidly growing form of renewable energy in the world. It is currently growing at a rate of more than 30 percent per year, and already has an installed capacity more than 7 times greater than that of solar power. 80 countries currently have market wind farms. The United States currently gets 3 percent of its electricity from the wind, manufacture it second in capacity only to China. The installed capacity in the U.S. Exceeds 40,000 megawatts.

Turbines are springing up all over the country. There are farms in 37 states. 14 of these states have large-scale installations. Texas is the country's foremost producer. The largest wind farm in the world is located in Texas. Iowa is the second largest producer, followed by California and then Minnesota. Other states that have large installations comprise Oregon, Washington, and Kansas. Projects are under building in several states, and there is a push to setup off-shore turbines in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. These would be the first off-shore installations in the United States and, if constructed, would greatly add to renewable energy resources on the east coast. There are also a amount of conventional farms under improvement in states from North Dakota to Oregon.

Nuclear Power

The amount of power generated by these installations varies continuously. Some factors that sway the power generated on any given day comprise the direction of the prevailing winds, their speed, and the size of the installed windmills. On a windy day in October of 2010, the farms generated 25 percent of all the electricity used in Texas. Iowa gets nearly 20 percent of all its electrical needs from its turbines, and there are plans to add more in the future.

State and federal governments are getting complicated in wind power in a big way. The U.S. Group of energy believes that up to 20 percent of all electricity produced in the United States could ultimately come from turning turbines, instead of burning coal or nuclear fission. The National Renewable energy Laboratory is now building a installation specifically to test turbine blades. State governments are also helping out. Texas has committed to expanding its galvanic grid to aid in power transmission. Many states are also providing principal investment capital to the industry.

Wind power is fast gaining in popularity, both in the U.S. And colse to the world. This fully green, ecologically friendly, and infinitely renewable power source is changing the time to come of electricity generation and the world.

seeing Wind Power in the United States