WIND ENERGY IS FASTEST GROWING
ENERGY SOURCE IN WORLD, AGAIN

Wind power is the fastest growing energy source in the world for the fourth straight year, with global installed generating capacity estimated to have grown by 35% during 1998, according to Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based policy organization.

Doubling the capacity in place three years ago, the world wind industry added 2,100 megawatts (MW) to reach a total of 9,600 MW at year's end, Worldwatch said. That amount of capacity is sufficient to generate approximately 21 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, or enough power for 3.5 million suburban U.S. homes.

Wind power has become one of the most rapidly expanding industries, with worldwide equipment sales reaching roughly $2 billion in 1998. The wind energy industry, according to Worldwatch, is creating thousands of jobs at a time when employment in manufacturing is falling in the U.S. and many other nations.

"Major advances in wind energy technology have reduced its cost significantly, to the point where it is generally competitive with traditional energy sources," said Randall Swisher, executive director of American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). "Additionally, U.S. public support for wind energy and other non-polluting renewables has grown steadily, as more people learn about the impact that generation of electricity from fossil fuels such as coal can have on our environment."

AWEA said total U.S. wind capacity grew by more than 230 MW in 1998, with major new wind plants being built in states outside of California, the nation's leading wind energy producer. The states of Minnesota, Oregon, Wyoming and Iowa account for most of the new growth. For 1999, AWEA is preliminarily projecting 600 MW of new wind energy capacity, and between 120 and 250 MW of "repowering" development at several California wind farms.

This surge in U.S. wind energy capacity is due in part to the impending expiration (in June) of a tax credit which provides an incentive to produce the non-polluting energy. While developers are moving quickly to erect wind farms before the credit ends, AWEA remains hopeful that the incentive will be extended and encourage additional projects in the future.

Three other nations lead the growth in world wind energy capacity: Germany, Spain and Denmark.

Germany topped the charts in 1998 with the addition of 800 MW, boosting the country's total capacity to over 2,800 MW. New wind machines in place are now producing the same amount of electricity as two of the country's largest coal-fired power plants, according to Worldwatch.

Spain also emerged as a world leader in wind energy by adding approximately 395 MW in 1998 for an increase in installed wind capacity of 86% during the year. Spain's total wind capacity now stands at over 850 MW.

Denmark continues as a leading producer of wind energy with the addition of approximately 235 MW in 1998, bringing its total capacity to more than 1,350 MW.

The dramatic growth of wind energy in the 1990s stems from several factors, including supportive government policies in several European countries, continued design improvements in wind machines, and a "precipitous" drop in the per-kilowatt price of installed capacity, according to Worldwatch. That cost today is less than one-third of what it was in 1981.

Overall, wind power is a far larger potential energy source than most people realize. In the U.S., the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas have sufficient wind resources to provide electricity for the entire nation. One 1998 Danish study states that 10% of the world's electricity needs can be met with wind energy in the next two decades. Worldwatch predicts that in the long run, wind power could easily exceed hydropower -- which now supplies 23% of the world's electricity -- as an energy source.

According to AWEA, fully developing wind energy's potential in the windiest states in the U.S. could mean billions in economic activity, and tens of thousands of new jobs (see chart below).

THE TOP FIFTEEN U.S. STATES for wind energy potential, as measured by annual energy potential in the billions of kilowatt-hours (kWh), factoring in environmental and land use exclusions for wind class of 3 and higher. Additionally, AWEA provides estimates on potential jobs and economic impact of wind energy.

Source for Wind Potential: An Assessment of the Available Windy Land Area and Wind Energy Potential in the Contiguous United States, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, 1991.

Source for job and economic impact figures: AWEA, 1998.

AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. The association’s membership of more than 700 includes turbine manufacturers, wind project developers, utilities, academicians, and interested individuals from 49 states. More information on wind energy is available at the AWEA web site: http://www.econet.org/awea

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