The world added 2,100 megawatts of new wind energy generating capacity in 1998, a new all-time record, and 35 percent more than was added in 1997, according to preliminary estimates by the Worldwatch Institute.
Wind power is now the world's fastest growing energy source.
The wind industry is creating thousands of jobs at a time when employment in manufacturing is falling in many nations. The 1998 boom in wind energy was led by Germany, which added 800 megawatts, pushing its wind energy capacity to over 2,800 megawatts. Germany's wind industry, which is only seven years old, is already producing as much electricity as two of the country's largest coal-fired power plants. In the windy northern state of Schleswig Holstein, wind now provides 15 percent of the electricity. Spain also emerged as a major player in the wind power industry in 1998.