Environmental Leader

The American Wind Energy Association announced that in 2008, the industry had over 21,000 megawatt of wind capacity up and running, surpassing the amount generated in 2007. The U.S. also passed Germany to become the world leader in wind generation.

The AWEA says that 21,000 megawatt of capacity will generate over 60 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2009, enough to serve over 5.5 million American homes and eliminate 91 million barrels of oil per year.

The association says wind energy helped to prevent 36 million tons of CO2 from being emitted into the air in 2008.

This year, the association also announced new collaborations with environmental groups and created the American Wind Wildlife Institute to facilitate the development of wind energy while protecting wildlife.