That doesn't seem like much, but wind power is one of the fastest-growing sources of energy in both the United States and abroad. While the use of renewable energy sources as a whole has annually by 2 percent since 1971, wind-power generation has increased at an average of 52.1 percent every year between 1971 and 2000.

The American Wind Energy Association estimates that an additional 6,500 megawatts of wind-energy generating capacity were added worldwide in 2001, accounting for about $7 billion in electricity sales. The U.S. alone added 1,700 megawatts worth of generating equipment.

				Wind Power Plus and Minus Advantages Wind energy is free. It is a renewable energy resource. There are no dangerous emissions. Wind power can be used in remote areas. Wind power can be used in conjunction with other renewable energy resources such as solar energy. Disadvantages Wind turbines are site dependent i.e. they need to be built in areas where there is a reliable source of wind. Wind speed can fluctuate. The wind speed can be too fast or slow which means that electricity is not produced. Also the wind does not blow all the time. Wind farms can be a visual eyesore and may create excess noise. Wind turbines can be expensive to maintain. Energy storage devices, e.g. batteries, are sometimes necessary.

				Wind Turbines "People always ask, 'Well, how do you make electricity? Where does electricity come from?' They think it comes from the electric outlet. And it's really actually not very complicated. You just need to spin a turbine. Make a turbine turn. That's how electricity's made. So, you can turn a turbine with hydropower. And you can make that steam by burning coal, or burning natural gas, or — splitting atoms. But you can also turn a turbine by putting it up on a tower in a windy place. It's a pretty simply way to make electricity."-- Michael Noble, Minnesotans for an Energy Efficient Economy, ME3.

				U.S. Wind Potential Map The potential for wind power varies throughout the United States, from region to region. However, wind potential doesn't only exist in areas like the Great Plains. The U.S. government's National Wind Technology Center shows in this map that moderate- to high-wind potential is actually dispersed throughout the lower 48 states. Wind power ranges from Class 1 to Class 7, with each class representing wind-power density or mean wind-speed. Areas designated Class 4 or greater are suitable for advanced wind-turbine technology under development today. Class 3 areas, while generally not used for production, may be suitable for wind-power technologies in the future.

				Wind Power Now Consumption of energy grew in the 1990s, with great disparities in usage between the developed and developing world. If global energy use continues at its present rate, consumption will be double the 1998 rate by 2035, and will triple it by 2055. Electricity's share of this total will increase to 38 percent. However, even with rapid growth in wind energy production rates, by 2020 electricity production from renewable energy sources other than hydropower is projected to provide only 2.3 percent of total electricity needs. The biggest producers of wind energy are Germany, the United States, Spain, Denmark and India.

Sources: National Wind Technology Center; International Energy Agency, "Renewables in Global Energy Supply;" American Wind Energy Association "Fact Sheet," Global Wind Energy Market Report; United States Energy Information Administration; U.S. Department of Energy, Wind Energy Program; The World Energy Council, Survey of Energy Resources 2001; Sustainable Minnesota

More on estimated future world energy needs.