The U.S. wind energy industry installed 5,244MW in 2007, expanding the nation’s total wind power generating capacity by 45% in a single calendar year and injecting an investment of more than $9 billion into the economy, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Washington, D.C., reports. The new wind projects account for 30% of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007 and will power the equivalent of 1.5 million American households annually.
According to the AWEA report, the U.S. wind power fleet now numbers 16,818MW and spans 34 states. American wind farms will generate an estimated 48 billion kilowatt hours of wind energy in 2008, just over 1% of U.S. electricity supply. The pace of growth in 2008 and beyond is expected to depend on timing and duration of an extension of the federal production tax credit.