The American Wind Energy Association welcomed the campaign launched by T. Boone Pickens to strengthen U.S. economic and energy security by boosting wind power production.
U.S. Department of Energy, in a major technical report, confirmed that wind can generate 20% of U.S. electricity supply by 2030 while providing benefits that far outweigh the cost.
According to the DOE technical report, achieving a 20% wind contribution to U.S. electricity supply by 2030 would:
* Reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by 25% in 2030;
* Reduce natural gas use by 11%, which would in turn lower the pressure on natural gas prices;
* Support roughly 500,000 jobs in the U.S., with an average of more than 150,000 workers directly employed by the wind industry;
* Increase annual revenues to local communities to more than $1.5 billion by 2030; and
* Reduce water consumption associated with electricity generation by 4 trillion gallons by 2030.
[ via – AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION ]