One fifth of US Energy Could Come from Wind: Department of Energy

May 8, 2008

A recent report released by the Department of Energy said that up to 20% of US electricity needs could be provided by wind power by the year 2030. This is a huge jump from today as wind currently accounts for less than 1%.

This would reduce the national carbon footprint by a quarter and cut water consumption by four trillion gallons as wind power replaced other, dirtier forms of electricity generation, namely coal and gas plants.

The authors of the report said that the total cost of ramping up wind power to this level would be roughly $6 per person each year.

Several major businesses have already put their efforts into wind energy, including General Electric, and oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens. Companies see renewable energy as a potential business opportunity as the demand for it rises, due partly to skyrocketing oil prices.

However, developing the clean energy is just one aspect. Improvements to the national energy grid would be required as well to cope with sources that are not completely regular. Unlike big power plants with produce a lot of energy around the clock, many renewable energy sources will come from smaller plants that rely on natural weather conditions which can change from day to day.

Some forms of renewable energy, like that being pushed by Google-backed eSolar, would provide a steadier energy source, although at is still too early to say if this will be widely adopted. Best estimates point to the use of many different forms of technology going forward, and the electricity grid needs a major overhaul if it is going to cope with that.

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