Next Clean Energy Cause Wind farms like this one in Montezuma Hills, Calif. have seen demand for their cheap electricity jump by two-thirds in the last year. It has subsidized and encouraged various renewable technologies. But each has faded, unable to compete in the marketplace.
Initial signs are encouraging.
Some 38,700 wind turbines span the globe. The United States easily has enough wind to provide one-fifth of its own electric needs. And there's the rub. They're easy to locate and fast to build, and they produce less pollution than coal-fired plants. And there's plenty of natural gas available at least for several decades.