What is the history of wind energy?

For centuries, humans have harnessed the power of the wind to do work such as move boats, grind grain, or draw water.  The use of wind to create electric power started around 1900 with Poul la Cour in Denmark.  Click on the link to read the Danish Wind Industry Association's very thorough history of wind turbines.

The first commercial-scale wind turbine in the U.S. was built on Grandpa's Knob in Vermont in 1941.  Noble Environmental Power is in the early stages of developing a possible windpark at the same site.  Click here to read more about Grandpa's Knob.

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How long has the wind energy industry existed in the U.S.?

The U.S. has had modern, commercial-scale wind power for more than two decades. The first domestic wind farms were constructed in California in the early 1980s.  The U.S. wind industry reached its first 1,000 megawatts of installed capacity in 1985, but then took more than a decade to reach 2,000 megawatts in 1999.  Since 1999, however, the installed capacity has increased fivefold.  Today, wind energy is the nation's fastest growing source of commercial-scale power.

Wind turbines in Tehachapi, California.

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How much wind energy is installed in the U.S.?

In the first quarter of 2009, more than 2,800 megawatts of wind energy were installed across 15 states in the U.S. Per AWEA's press release on its 1st quarter 2009 report, "The new wind power projects add up to 2,836 MW, according to initial AWEA estimates. The total wind power generating capacity in operation in the U.S. is now 28,206 MW, enough to serve over 8 million homes and avoid the emissions of 52 million tons of carbon dioxide annually—the equivalent of removing 8.8 million cars from the road."

According to AWEA's 1st quarter 2009 report, Texas ranks highest among the 50 states, with a total capacity of 7,908 megawatts. Iowa beat out California, with a generating capacity of 2,883 megawatts over California's 2,653 megawatts. The report also lists states in order of the most rapid growth in wind capacity in the first quarter: Indiana, Maine, Nebraska, Idaho, and New York.

Click here to view an interactive map of U.S. wind projects  that are currently operating or under constuction.

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Yes!  Wind power is now one of the fastest growing sources of new power generation in the U.S., along with natural gas.  The wind projects that came online in 2008 account for nearly 42% of the total power generating capacity added that year.  In 2008, the new generating capacity installed in the U.S. represented a capital investment of almost $17 billion.

The American wind industry has an exciting future.  Researchers estimate that approximately 25% of the U.S. is suited for wind power production, and wind could supply 20% of the nation's electricity by 2030.  In 2006, U.S. wind power produced enough electricity to save more than 0.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.

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The global wind industry currently employs more than 300,000 people and has seen growth rates of 25% in the past few years.  75,000 megawatts of wind turbines are in operation in almost 50 countries, and they generate more than 1% of the electricity used worldwide.  Using this clean, renewable energy source avoids the emission of the equivalent of 150 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, which contributes to global warming.  Source: the World Wind Energy Association, http://www.wwindea.org.

Which companies are the major manufacturers of wind turbines?

Worldwide, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has the greatest market share at around 27% in 2006.  Vestas is followed by Spanish turbine manufacturer Gamesa, and General Electric (GE) is in third place globally.

However, GE ranks first in turbines used in the U.S. market, with a market share of 46%, and GE has maintained the dominant position in the domestic market for the past four years (2002-2006).   Five companies followed GE in this category in 2006:  Siemens, Vestas, Mitsubishi Power Systems, Suzlon, and Gamesa, respectively. GE’s domestic installed capacity in that year was 1,146 megawatts. The combined domestic installed capacity of the next five firms in that year was 1,300 megawatts.

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Where are wind turbines manufactured?

In addition to the blades, towers, and nacelles, wind turbines require thousands of smaller components.  Turbine parts and components are manufactured around the globe.  Currently, a small amount of this manufacturing takes place in the U.S., but this represents a small fraction of the domestic manufacturing activity that could potentially occur if the U.S. makes a serious effort to develop its wind energy infrastructure.  To learn more about the domestic manufacturing jobs that could be created by wind, click here to go to Wind Energy and the Economy! 

In the U.S., blade manufacturing occurs primarily in the Midwest and the Pacific.  Towers are made mainly in the Midwest and the South. The manufacture of nacelles and controls happens mostly in the Midwest, in New England, and in the South.  Gearboxes and drive trains are manufactured almost exclusively in the Midwest.  Many smaller parts are produced by more than forty companies across the country.  Those smaller parts include blade composites, blade extenders, bolts, cables, cranes, fraction hoists, ladders, lift systems, substations, and tower flanges.

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