The winds of change: global wind power capacity continues to skyrocket.

• Position: Ecology

Global installed wind power topped 100,000 megawatts in March. In 2007, wind power capacity increased by a record-breaking 20,000 megawatts, bringing the world total to 94,100 megawatts--enough to satisfy the residential electricity needs of 150,000,000 people, reports Jonathan G. Dorn, staff researcher with Earth Policy Institute, Washington, D.C. Driven by concerns regarding climate change and energy security, one in every three countries now generates a portion of its electricity from wind, with 13 nations each exceeding 1,000 megawatts of capacity.

For the third consecutive year, the U.S. led the world in new installations, with its 5,240 megawatts, accounting for one-quarter of the global total, Dorn notes. Installations in the fourth quarter of 2007 alone exceeded the figure for all of 2006, and the U.S. is on track to overtake Germany as the leader in installed wind power by the end of 2009. Wind farms now are found in 34 states and total 16,800 megawatts. The electrical output from these farms is equivalent to that from 16 coal-fired power plants and is enough to power 4,500,000 homes. This exceptional growth largely is due to an extension of the wind production tax credit under the 2005 Energy Policy Act.

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After passing California to become the leader in installed U.S. wind power capacity in 2006, Texas maintained its lead in 2007 by expanding its total capacity to 4,360 megawatts. Minnesota, Iowa, and Washington round out the top five leading states. Moreover, Texas is planning the development of 23,000 megawatts of wind power capacity, enough to satisfy over half the residential electricity demand in the state. Southern California Edison is planning a 4,500-megawatt wind project, and a task force established by Maine Gov. John Baldacci is recommending the development of 3,000 megawatts. At the national level, wind farm proposals exceed 100,000 megawatts, roughly six times the current installed capacity.

In Europe, Dorn continues, the 8,660 megawatts of wind power capacity added last year accounted for 40% of all new power installations. This marks the first year in history that wind power additions in Europe exceeded those of any other power source, including natural gas. Europe's installed capacity currently totals 57,100 megawatts, and its new installations in 2007 accounted for 43% of total global installations. Wind-generated electricity meets nearly four percent of Europe's electricity demand, enough to...