Windpower: Small, but growing fast

Journal Article · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996 · World Watch

OSTI ID:508579

Flavin, C

Wind power is now the world`s fastest growing energy source. Global wind power generating capacity rose to 4,900 megawatts at the end of 1995, up from 3,700 megawatts a year earlier. Since 1990, total installed wind power capacity has risen by 150 percent, representing an annual growth rate of 20 percent. By contrast, nuclear power is growing at a rate of less than 1 percent per year, while world coal combustion has not grown at all in the 1990s. If the world`s roughly 25,000 wind turbines were spinning simultaneously, they could light 122 million 40-watt light bulbs or power over a million suburban homes. This article reviews both the global use and the global potential for wind energy. 3 figs.

• OSTI ID: 508579
• Journal Information: World Watch, Journal Name: World Watch Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 9; ISSN 0896-0615; ISSN WOWAEE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

17 WIND ENERGY
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
GLOBAL ASPECTS
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
WIND POWER