Wind power set to continue rapid growth, energy group says

The nation’s wind-power industry showed record growth in 2009 and could see dramatic expansion if there was a national “renewable electricity standard,” the American Wind Energy Association said in a report released Thursday.

The industry association says more than 10,000 megawatts of new wind power were installed throughout the United States in 2009, generating as much electricity as three large nuclear power plants. And 14 states are now included in what the industry calls the “gigawatt club,” which means they have more than 1,000 megawatts of wind power installed. One megawatt is enough to power between 750 and 1,000 homes.

Texas, Iowa and California lead all states in megawatts installed.

The American Wind Energy Association advocates for a nationwide renewable electricity standard, a policy that would require utilities to procure a set amount of power from renewable sources like wind and solar by a certain date. AWEA would like to see a national target of 25 percent by 2025.

California and 29 other states have their own renewable standards, but wind advocates say the lack of a federal policy is hurting the industry.

“A national (standard) will provide the long-term certainty that businesses need to invest tens of billions of dollars in new installations and manufacturing facilities, which would create hundreds of thousands of American jobs,” said AWEA CEO Denise Bode.

Unlike the solar industry, which has put panels on the roofs of American homes, the wind industry remains largely out of reach for most consumers.

“There are small wind turbines, but you can’t site them in urban and suburban areas,” said Rader. “You have to have land or a ranch to put up a small wind turbine.”

Later this month, federal officials are expected to rule on Cape Wind, a controversial project off the coast of Cape Cod that, if approved, would be the nation’s largest offshore wind farm. The project has been opposed by Native American tribes who say the proposed wind turbines would disturb ancestral underwater burial grounds and spiritual ceremonies.