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Wind Energy General Statistics

Capacity Installed, U.S.:
2,554 MW (Source: AWEA, end of 2000)

Capacity Installed, World:
Over 17,000 MW (Source: AWEA, end of 2000)

Number of Wind Turbines Installed, California:
11,700 (Source: AWEA end of 2000.)

Number of Wind Turbines Installed, U.S.:
13,000 (Source: AWEA, end of 2000.)

Installed Cost of Wind Energy:
3-6 cents/kWh (Source: AWEA estimate)

Largest Wind Farms, Proposed:
Stateline (Oregon-Washington), 300 MW
Nevada Test Site, 260 MW
Reliant Energy (King Mountain, Tex.), 208 MW

Largest Wind Farm, Operating:
Storm Lake (Iowa) 196.5 MW

High Use Regions for Wind Energy:
"There are three areas in Europe where wind energy is being installed systematically: Denmark, Northern Germany, and Northern Spain. 13% of Danish electricity consumption is covered by wind at present. In the Northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein and in the province of Navarra in Northern Spain the figure is 20%."
- Letter from Soren Krohn, Danish Windturbine Manufacturers' Association, 4 December 2000.

Operating Characteristics of a Wind Turbine:
It runs at its full rated power output level about 10% of the time.
It is generating some power 60% to 80% of the time.
On average throughout the year, it generates 30% to 35% of what it would generate if it ran at full power all the time.
A typical "cut-in wind speed" (speed at which a turbine begins generating electricity) is about 10.5 mph.
(Source: Ken Cohn, Second Wind, January 2001)

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