Good News! Wind Power is Growing.
March 5, 2008
Wind Turbines |
Good news from the environmental front. The
availability and accessability of windpower is
growing. Global installed wind power capacity now tops 100,000 megawatts, according to Earth Policy News, positioning wind to become the foundation of the new energy economy worldwide.
In 2007, wind power capacity increased by a record-breaking 20,000 megawatts, bringing the world total to 94,100 megawatts -- enough to satisfy the residential electricity needs of 150 million people. In Europe, the wind power capacity added in 2007 accounted for 40 percent of all new power installations. This marks the first year in history that wind power additions in Europe exceeded the additions of any other power source, including natural gas. Wind-generated electricity now meets nearly 4% of Europes electricity demand, enough to supply electricity to 90 million residents.
For the third consecutive year, the United States led the world in new installations, accounting for one-quarter of global installations in 2007. Installations in the fourth quarter of 2007 alone exceeded the figure for all of 2006, and the United States is on track to overtake Germany as the leader in installed wind power by the end of 2009. Wind farms are now found in 34 states. The electrical output from these farms is equivalent to that from 16 coal-fired power plants and is enough to power 4.5 million U.S. homes.
|
|
 PROJECT:
Calculate Your Ecological Footprint |
|
|
|
How much space does your lifestyle require? Find out.
Calculate your own ecological footprint by taking the quiz
at
www.myfootprint.org.
Then, you can compare your Ecological Footprint to what the
planet can sustain.
Adjusting your entries or playing with the Reduce Your
Footprint calculator will show how lifestyle changes affect
the Footprint size. Enter simple goals for your life on the
Action Calculator (such as a pledge to eat less meat) and
find out how many acres of land you could save just by
implementing that goal. Post your goals in a place where you
can see and review them every day. |
|
