U.S. Installs 1,400 Megawatts of Wind Energy in 3rd Quarter - Heading for Another Record Year
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently released their 3rd quarter market report showing the addition last quarter of another 1,389 megawatts of installed wind energy, bringing the total capacity in completed wind projects for 2008 to 4,204 MW.
With more wind projects under construction 2008 is expected to be another record year, reaching an estimated total of 7,500 MW (enough to power about 2.2 million homes), surpassing the 2007 record of 5,249 MW installed.
In other good news, and in spite of a crumbling economy, the report shows an increasing manufacturing base for wind projects in the United States, with eight new wind turbine component plants opened, the expansion of nine facilities, and the announcement of 19 additional plants in the works.
As a result of this aggressive investment in manufacturing, AWEA reports that 9,000 new jobs have been added and the share of domestically made components has risen from 30% in 2005 to 50% today.
