Clean energy, as a topic, was one of the most talked-about things in 2015. From the conference in Paris, to the huge gains in the solar industry both in the U.S. and abroad, everyone seemed focused on going green as quickly and efficiently as possible. And while solar power spent a huge amount of time in the spotlight, wind power was huffing and puffing on its heels, according to Yahoo! News.
We Have 50,000 Wind Turbines?
According to the American Wind Energy Association, there are over 50,000 active wind turbines in the United States. Said turbines have been built over 40 of the 50 states, as well as in Puerto Rico. Not only that, but when taken as a whole, these turbines produce 70 gigawatts of power.
If that sounds like a lot of clean energy, that’s because it is. 70 gigawatts is enough to run about 19 million homes, assuming average power consumption, in the U.S. Not only that, but it’s enough to put wind power up to between 4 and 5 percent of the total power in the United States. If that doesn’t sound like a very big gain, in 2007 wind power barely registered as 1 percent of the energy used in the U.S.
Slow and Steady Wins The Race?
When it comes to clean energy, there’s no silver bullet. Every country, state, and city will need to use the resources it has to hand to generate clean, renewable power. With so much open space across the United States, though, wind and solar are joining hands to create bigger results than either one could manage individually. And as 2016 gets started, those numbers are only going to get bigger.
