The US 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 over US$ 9 billion into the economy, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced.
The new wind projects account for about 30% of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007. This is the third consecutive year of record-setting growth. 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 (kWh) of wind energy in 2008, just over 1% of US electricity supply.
