The offshore market in Northern Europe is driving this development, as are simple economies of scale for larger turbines. A recent report by BTM Consult, a Danish wind energy consulting firm, predicts the world wind capacity to triple to over 31,000 megawatts by the year 2003, with much of the growth in Europe, especially Spain. But that growth will hinge on a number of factors, most importantly what rules are established for electric utility restructuring and whether the US will take meaningful action to reduce global warming emissions. Pro-environment restructuring policies, such as a Renewables Portfolio Standard, will mean continued strong growth for the wind industry. If wind costs continue to fall as some in the industry predict, the future growth of wind power may not depend so much on environmental policies.
Wind is already competitive in many situations.
With a little more drop, wind may simply become the cheapest power source available. And the environmental benefits will be a bonus. Union of Concerned Scientists, Powering the Midwest, 1993. A History, University of Oklahoma Press, 1996. Paul Gipe, Wind Energy Comes of Age , John Wiley and Sons, 1995.