It’s been awfully windy the past few days. Speaking of wind, last week I was doing some research after reading the Wired article on Hydrogen power, toying with the idea of wind farming.
Facts:
- NREL: National Wind Technology Center
- Wind Energy Potential in the United States (1993) – also, maps (see updated EERE and NREL maps below)
- Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the United States – see maps, including wind resource estimates and certainty ratings
- DOE Wind Energy Basics & Favorite Links
- Wind Power America – also has some detailed U.S. State Maps of Wind Resources
- Top 20 States For Wind Energy Potential – North Dakota is #1, although there are other states w/ larger areas of Class 4+ regions
- Vermont has many areas of Class 7 wind, it borders our friendly northern neighbors in Canada
To provide 20% of the nation’s electricity, only about 0.6% of the land of the lower 48 states would have to be developed with wind turbines. Furthermore, less than 5% of this land would be occupied by wind turbines, electrical equipment, and access roads. Most existing land use, such as farming and ranching, could remain as it is now.
North Dakota, alone, has enough energy from class 4 and higher winds to supply 36% of the electricity of the lower 48 states.
Investing:
- Investing in Wind Energy Is Not a Breeze (more investing tips from AWEA [PDF])
- American Wind Energy Association
- Windpower Monthly News Magazine
Misc / DIY