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Strong Winds on the Horizon: Wind Power Comes of Age Wind energy in the U.S. is turning in a dazzling performance in 2001, showing that our nations abundant winds can provide a cost-competitive, clean energy solution to its electricity needs. The amount of electricity generated from wind in the U.S. is expected to surge this year, establishing 2001 as the best ever for the industry. Proposals for well over 2000 new megawatts of wind generating capacity were in the works as of April 2001. Of that amount, 1250 MW is expected to be completed in 2001, almost twice the previous record of 732 MW, set in 1999. By the end of 2001, wind farms across the country will generate about 10 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, enough electricity to power one million average American households. Even though that is still less than 1% of U.S. electricity production, at that level, wind will displace, every year, 8 million tons of carbon dioxide, based on the average U.S. electricity fuel mix. An area of 4000 square miles of forest, larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, would be needed to absorb that amount of carbon dioxide. We have barely begun to tap the power of this gigantic, invisible river of air. Americas wind energy potential is ample enough to meet more than twice the total current U.S. consumption of electricity, according to federal estimates. Development of only a fraction of that potential would allow the U.S. to boost its electricity supply by 10%-20% without sacrificing environmental standards or accelerating the depletion of natural resources. The U.S. is blessed with an enormous wind resource. Although Germany is today the worlds leader in installed wind capacity, North Dakota alone has two and a half times as much wind potential. The state of Texas, which ranks just behind North Dakota, has enough wind potential to provide about 40% of total U.S. electric demand. California, despite being the state that is the current leader in installed