In the U.S., over 3,000 megawatts of wind power has been installed, enough electricity to power approximately half a million homes. On top of that, U.S. wind power capacity is expected to grow by nearly 50 percent by the end of 2001. It would cost just a few dollars per year to the electricity bill of a typical American family, and would supply electricity for over 1.5 million Americans. As a renewable source of energy, wind power is free and abundant. While nearly all areas of the U.S. have some amount of wind potential, the best resources are found in the Great Plains, Pacific Northwest and Texas.
Wind is also a clean source of energy because wind turbines emit no air pollutants.
Cost Competitive Wind power is also attractive economically. Since the early 1980 s, the cost of wind power has declined nearly 90 percent. The abundance of small wind turbines, for residential home or commercial use, is also increasing. These turbines, which range in size from 300 watts to 100 kilowatts of capacity, are cost competitive with diesel electric generating systems while offering substantial environmental advantages. In that year, the first utility-scale wind projects were built in the states of Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wyoming.