Large Increase in Wind Power

Global wind power generation grew by 29 percent in 2008, with the United States overtaking Germany to become the world’s leading producer of wind-driven electricity, according to the Worldwatch Institute. The Washington, D.C.-based research organization said that wind power now generates enough electricity to power 27 million homes globally and that 1.5 percent of the world’s energy demands are now met by wind — up from .1 percent a decade ago. Worldwatch said that wind power generation increased by 50 percent in the U.S., which now produces 21 percent of global wind power. Europe generates 55 percent of global wind power. China, which is rapidly erecting wind-driven turbines, now accounts for about 10 percent of global capacity.