"Clean energy" was a frequent topic during this
fall's political campaigns, and there's plenty of substance
behind the talk. The United States recently became the world leader
in wind power capacity, eclipsing Germany and Spain which were
pioneers in the field. The United States Department of Energy's
2008 report, 20% Wind Energy by 2030, suggests, as the
title implies, that the United States could feasibly satisfy 20
percent of its electrical needs through wind power by the year
2030. It appears that wind energy development is likely to continue
to be a major force in meeting America's energy needs for a
variety of reasons, including the United States' abundant wind
resources, the need to reduce reliance on foreign sources of oil,
increasing availability of federal and state incentives and
environmental factors.
