Windy record in the US

Shattering all its previous records, the US wind energy industry installed 5,244MW in 2007, expanding the country's total wind power generating capacity by 45 per cent in a single year and injecting an investment of over $9bn into the economy.

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), new wind projects accounted for about 30 per cent of the entire new power-producing capacity added in 2007, powering the equivalent of 1.5m American households annually.

'This is the third consecutive year of record-setting growth, establishing wind power as one of the largest sources of new electricity supply for the country,' said AWEA executive director Randall Swisher.

US wind turbines are now responsible for generating 16,818MW of power. American wind farms will generate an estimated 48 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind energy in 2008, just over one per cent of the US electricity supply, powering the equivalent of over 4.5 million homes.

Wind power’s strong performance is expected to continue this year, with AWEA’s initial estimates indicating that 2008 could equal 2007 in new wind capacity installed. Developers report that with strong demand for wind power across the country, wind turbines are sold out for the year.