As American states are beginning to awaken to the need to take action on destructive Climate Change caused by human emissions of Greenhouse Gases, the wind energy industry has passed a symbolic milestone. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has done the math, and the total amount of Wind Energy capacity in America now exceeds 10,000 megawatts (MW). On a typical day, this could power more that 2.5 million U.S. homes without increasing dependence on polluting fuel sources that may come from unstable parts of the world. One project, expected to be the largest in the US, will provide a boost in achieving the next wind energy milestone. In Iowa, one expects to see farms producing corn, soy, hogs or dairy products. When the new Iowa Winds farm is built, clean and renewable electricity will be the profitable harvest. The project will involve hundreds of local landowners who will contribute to the generation of 300MW of electricity. According to AWEA, wind projects provide a broad range of benefits:
Economic benefits:
Supplying electricity: Wind was the second-largest source of new power generation in the country in 2005 after natural gas, and is likely be so again in 2006, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Creating jobs: Wind turbine manufacturing companies have recently opened facilities in Iowa (Clipper Windpower), Minnesota (Suzlon), and Pennsylvania (Gamesa), and wind turbine orders are creating jobs all the way down the supply chain, sometimes in areas that do not have a large wind resource, such as Louisiana.
Environmental benefits:
Less global warming pollution: Today’s 10,000 MW of wind power are keeping 16 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO 2), the leading greenhouse gas associated with global warming, out of the air EVERY YEAR. That’s equivalent to the amount of CO 2 that would be absorbed by over 9,000 square miles of forest, an area about the size of Vermont.
Better air quality: If the same amount of electricity as that generated by America’s 10,000-MW wind turbine fleet were instead produced using the average utility fuel mix, it would emit 73,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and 27,000 tons of nitrogen oxide per year, as well as other pollutants such as mercury.
Energy security benefits:
Saving fuel: Today’s 10,000 MW of wind power saves about 0.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/day), or about 3.5% of the natural gas used nationwide to generate electricity.
Domestic, inexhaustible energy source: America’s wind resource potential is vast--theoretically more than twice enough to meet current U.S. electricity supply. President Bush said earlier this year that wind could meet 20% of the country’s electricity supply (the share that nuclear power provides today).
AWEA expects the U.S. to pass the 15,000 MW mark by the end of 2007 and can have 25,000 MW installed by the end of 2010, with the proper policies in place. At this growth rate, the U.S. could have 100,000 MW installed by 2020, which would provide the nation with approximately 6% of its future power needs, about as much as hydropower provides today. Iowa's new farm would be a big boost in reaching these goals.
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