Wind Technology Application
According to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) 2008 Wind Technologies Market Report (PDF 1.9 MB), U.S. wind power additions in 2008 shattered old records, with 8,558 MW of new capacity and $16.4 billion invested. Download Adobe Reader. The rate of utility-scale wind development in 2008 was more than 60% higher than the previous U.S. record of 5,249 MW, set in 2007. Wind power contributed 42% of all new U.S. electricity generating capacity in 2008. For the fourth consecutive year, wind power was the second-largest new resource added to the U.S. electrical grid, behind natural gas plants but ahead of new coal. The United States now claims the world's largest wind energy capacity.
NREL fosters the U.S. wind industry's advances by supporting DOE's Wind Powering America, which addresses the growing demand for clean sources of electricity and creates new revenue sources for rural landowners.
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Learn more about efforts to advance wind technology adoption through:
