Everyone has heard the news. Oil prices are exploding, the environment is falling apart, and people need to step up and do something about the energy crisis. Many people are seeking alternative energy sources to help combat this issue, including a huge investment in wind and solar energy. Wind energy, specifically, is more popular and accessible than many people might think. Many locations around the world still thrive on the use of oil, natural gas, and coal, but are seeking new, cheaper, and more eco-friendly alternatives. That leads people to ask why they’re not using what is already there. Hence, wind energy was born, and the growth of its popularity has continued to increase.

Europe has already begun creating what they call wind farms, which are just large groups of wind turbines that will harness energy to create electricity and power for consumers. The U.S. is not far behind in doing this for their energy needs. Each farm is made up of multiple wind turbines, which are a fairly simple product. The propeller or the rotor is what actually works to collect the wind energy and convert it into useable energy. The rotating propeller turns a shaft, which then creates the energy that is stored and used for electricity. Wind farms generally refer to any group of more than 10 wind turbines solely used for power generation.

In 2004, the U.S. had a capacity of 6,740 KW in wind energy. California was the state with the most wind energy production, at more than 2,096 KW wind capacity on an annual basis. This can all get very confusing, but consider this. One KW will power 240 to 300 homes in the country. If the U.S. is generating even 10,000 KW at this point, that’s 2.4 million to 3 million homes that can have electricity that is generated by a clean, renewable resource. The wind energy in the United States is worth more than many people know. At about $1,000 per kilowatt, that makes wind energy an industry that is worth well over $7 billion.

The increasing demand for better solutions and new, alternative energy sources, the wind energy industry is only going to continue to grow over time. Expanding wind farms and consumer conversions to wind and solar energy are likely to create a country that will eventually generate enough alternative energy to power the entire nation, if given some time.