Where Wind is Harnessed

Wind Power Plants Require Careful Planning

Operating a wind power plant is not as simple as just building a windmill in a windy place. Wind plant owners must carefully plan where to locate their machines. One important thing to consider is how fast and how much the wind blows at proposed locations.

Map of U.S. Wind Resources

As a rule, wind speed increases with altitude and over open areas that have no windbreaks. Good sites for wind plants are the tops of smooth, rounded hills, open plains or shorelines, and mountain gaps that produce wind funneling.

Wind Speed Is Not the Same Across the Country

Wind speed varies throughout the United States. It also varies from season to season. In Tehachapi, California, the wind blows more from April through October than it does in the winter. This is because of the extreme heating of the Mojave Desert during the summer months. The hot air over the desert rises, and the cooler, denser air above the Pacific Ocean rushes through the Tehachapi mountain pass to take its place. In a state like Montana, on the other hand, the wind blows more during the winter.

Fortunately, these seasonal variations are a good match for the electricity demands of the regions. In California, people use more electricity during the summer for air conditioners. In Montana, people use more electricity during the winter for heating.

Major Wind Power Locations

Wind turbines (sometimes called wind machines) generated electricity in 31 different States in 2008. The States with the most wind production are Texas, California, Iowa, Minnesota, and Oklahoma.

International Wind Power

Most of the wind power plants in the world are located in Europe and in the United States where government programs have helped support wind power development. As of 2008, the United States ranks first in the world in wind power capacity, followed by Germany, Spain, and China. Denmark ranks ninth in the world in wind power capacity, but generates about 20% of its electricity from wind.

Offshore Wind Power

Conditions are well suited along much of the coasts of the United States to use wind energy. However, there are people who oppose putting turbines just offshore, near the coastlines. Some people also think the wind turbines will spoil the view of the ocean. Right now, there is a plan to build an offshore wind plant off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Wind is a renewable energy source that does not pollute, so some people see it as a good alternative to fossil fuels.