World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

January 18, 2004 – Vol.8 No.43

WORLD WIND WATCH.

The numbers are in. New wind capacity added in the U.S. in 2003 was 1687 megawatts. There are now 6370 megawatts of utility scale wind turbines installed nationwide with 30 states having grid-connect turbines.

The new wind capacity will generate about $5 million annually in payments to landowners where turbines are installed. The new capacity will be responsible for the creation of 200 jobs.

More than half of the new turbines installed were supplied by GE Wind Energy (formerly Enron Wind). Gamesa had its first U.S. installations as did Suzlon of India. Minnesota had the most wind power installed -226 megawatts.

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) wind energy has been growing at rate of 28 percent on average over the last five years and that a growth rate of only 18 percent per year is needed to achieve a goal of 6 percent of the nation’s electric supply by 2020. Visit the AWEA at http://www.awea.org/ , GE Wind at http://www.gewindenergy.com/ , Gamesa at http://www.gamesa.es/ and Suzlon at http://www.suzlon.com/ .