Wind Energy in U.S.A

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As of the third quarter of 2011, the cumulative installed capacity of wind power in the United States was 43,461 megawatts (MW), making it second in the world, behind China. In 2010 wind power accounted for 2.3% of the electricity generated in the United States. This amounted to 94,650 thousand megawatt-hours of electricity.

Wind farm

Driven by state renewable energy mandates, fourteen states have installed over 1,000 MW of wind capacity, and a total of 37 states now have installed at least some utility-scale wind power. Texas, with 10,135 MW of capacity, has the most installed wind power capacity of any U.S. state, followed by Iowawith 3,675 MW. The Roscoe Wind Farm (781 MW) in Texas is the largest wind farm in the US as of 2009.Shepherds Flat Wind Farm in Oregon will be the largest wind farm in the world, when completed in 2012, with the nameplate capacity of 845 MW.

The U.S. wind industry generates tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity.Wind projects boost local tax bases, and revitalize the economy of rural communities by providing a steady income stream to farmers with wind turbines on their land. GE Energy is the largest domestic wind turbine manufacturer.

Wind turbine

There are currently 8,482 MW in 90 projects under construction in the third quarter of 2011. The U.S. Department of Energy’s report 20% Wind Energy by 2030 envisioned that wind power could supply 20% of all U.S. electricity, which included a contribution of 4% from offshore wind power. However, significant advances in cost, performance, and reliability will be needed. In August 2011, a coalition of 24 governors asked the Obama administration to provide a more favorable business climate for the development of wind power.