wind power capacity at end of year (MW) :
capacity added from previous year (MW) :
average capacity for year (MW) :
net generation (GW) :
capacity factor :
net generation from fossil fuels (GW)
2011 : 46,919 : 6,652 : 43,593 : 119,747 : .31 : 2,790,291 2010 : 40,267 : 5,404 : 37,565 : 94,652 : .29 : 2,883,361 2009 : 34,863 : 9,453 : 30,136.5 : 73,886 : .28 : 2,726,451 2008 : 25,410 : 8,503 : 21,158.5 : 55,363 : .30 : 2,926,731 2007 : 16,907 : 5,332 : 14,241 : 34,450 : .28 : 2,992,238 2006 : 11,575 : 2,428 : 10,361 : 26,589 : .29 : 2,885,295 2005 : 9,147 : 2,424 : 7,935 : 17,811 : .26 : 2,909,522 2004 : 6,723 : 373 : 6,536.5 : 14,144 : .25 : 2,824,798 2003 : 6,350 : 1,663 : 5,518.5 : 11,187 : .23 : 2,758,651 2002 : 4,687 : 455 : 4,459.5 : 10,354 : .27 : 2,730,167 2001 : 4,232 : 1,693 : 3,385.5 : 6,737 : .23 : 2,677,004 2000 : 2,539 : 65 : 2,505.5 : 5,593 : .25 : 2,692,479 1999 : 2,472Sources:
http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_installed_capacity.asp
http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_1_1_a
http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_1_01]
Note that fossil use has not decreased in relation to the increase of wind energy. Also note that if two-thirds of the cost of erecting wind turbines is covered by federal tax breaks and other subsidies (North American Windpower, June 2009; Keith Martin, Chadbourne and Parke, LLP, Financing Wind Power conference, Dec. 3-5, 2003, New York, N.Y.), then at $1.5 million per megawatt, taxpayers cover $1 million of that. At the end of 2011, then, federal taxpayers had paid and were committed to paying $47 billion to wind developers. For no measurable benefit and a great deal of environmental and social harm.
wind power, wind energy, wind turbines, wind farms, environment, environmentalism
