If Wind Gusts ... were $20 bills
-- would more people pay attention to them?
9 Mind-Blowing Facts About Wind Energy
by TakePart Staff, takepart.com -- May 10, 2014
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5. The United States has 60,000 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity. This powers the energy needed by roughly 15 million American homes.
6. America has barely scratched the surface of its wind energy potential. “The land-based wind energy resource in the United States is over 10,000,0000 megawatts, which could produce enough electricity to power the entire country 10 times over,” reports the American Wind Energy Association.
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9. In January, the world’s “largest and most powerful wind turbine” went online at an energy-testing center in Osterild, Denmark. The prototype is enormous: 720 feet tall, with 260-foot blades. It can generate eight megawatts of power, or enough to power 3,000 American households for an entire year.
World’s Largest Wind Turbine Starts Generating Power For First Time
by Ari Phillips, thinkprogress.org -- Jan 28, 2014
On Tuesday the world’s largest and most powerful wind turbine swung into gear at the Danish National Test Centre for Large Wind Turbines in Østerild. The prototype V164-8.0 MW wind turbine is 720 feet tall, has 260-foot blades, and can generate 8 megawatts of power -- enough to supply electricity for 7,500 average European households or about 3,000 American households.
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Britain has the most installed offshore wind capacity with 3.68 gigawtts while Denmark is a distant second with 1.27 gigawatts.
Vestas is Europe’s second leading wind turbine manufacturer, after Siemens, a German company. As of last year Vestas had installed 27 percent of Europe’s offshore wind turbines, or 547, compared to Siemens’ 1,249, or 60 percent.
Well, some people are ...
paying attention ... to the free-energy potential.
Østerild -- National Test Centre for Large Wind Turbines -- vindenergi.dtu.dk
The Danish Government decided in February 2011 to build a new prototype wind turbine test center near Østerild in Jutland. The Østerild law was passed in the Danish Parliament during February 2011. The Danish Technical University is appointed to be head of the establishment and operation of the new wind turbine prototype test facility.
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Never say, that the U.S. won't eventually "catch wind of" an invigorating opportunity ...
American Wind Energy Association
awea.org -- July 18, 2013
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Wind industry basics
With an annual investment of $25 billion during 2012, the business of the U.S. wind industry includes sectors such as: project development, resource assessment, siting and permitting, engineering, manufacturing, construction, transportation, operations, transmission and integration, and financing.
Wind energy in the United States has grown at healthy pace in recent years. In fact, growth was 30% on average for the past five years, helping the United States serve as a major market for wind energy globally.
American Wind Energy Association
awea.org -- 2013
[...]
U.S. Wind Energy: state maps & rankings
Over 900 utility-scale wind projects -- which represent 61,327 megawatts -- are installed across 39 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. There are also 560 wind manufacturing facilities spread across 43 states.
The answer, my friend -- at least part of it --
"is blowing in the wind."