Wind Turbine Facts:

During its life time, a wind turbine delivers 80 times more energy than is used in its production, maintenance and scrapping.

The sound from the wind turbine has the same sound level as ordinary speech.

Birds fly past modern wind turbines.

(source: Danish Wind Industry Association)

The idea of using the wind to create energy is not new. Over the centuries, people have harnessed the wind to power a ship's sails, pump water and grind grains in windmills. Today, enhanced technology to harness and deliver wind power allows us to tap into the extraordinary potential of this natural energy source.

Utility Scale Wind Projects

Utility scale wind projects borrow the force of the wind using wind turbines that stand up to 300 feet tall. As the wind passes, it spins the turbine’s blades generating electricity. A single turbine can generate enough electricity for thousands of homes.

By constructing a 'farm' of many turbines, a wind power project can generate as much power as a hydroelectric dam or a nuclear reactor. Advanced wind power technology has made it price competitive with natural gas, contributing to the wind industry's 29% year over year growth*. Despite this phenomenal growth, the potential for wind power in North America remains virtually untapped.

Growing Demand

Faced with an increased demand for energy in North America, the need for clean, non-polluting and abundant sources of energy is obvious. The rising costs of gas and oil coupled with state and local laws requiring an increased portion of electricity to be derived from clean sources have created an unprecedented opportunity for renewable power. The economic maturation of the industry over the last 30 years now makes wind power cost-competitive and, in many cases, less expensive than natural gas, for generating electricity.

* source: Global Wind Energy Council.

Wind Industry Growth:

Over the past six years, global wind power capacity has continued to grow at an average cumulative rate of 29%. 

In 2004, close to 8,000 MW (Megawatts) of new capacity were installed around the world.

Global wind power capacity has grown to 47,317MW, roughly the amount of electricity needed to power the state of California on a hot summer day.

The countries with the highest total installed wind power capacity are Germany (16,629 MW), Spain (8,263 MW), the United States (6,740 MW), Denmark (3,117 MW) and India (3,000 MW).

(source: Global Wind Energy Council)