Wind power has a bright future according to projections. As studies reveal a deeper understanding of optimal locations for wind power sites and technology allows higher amounts of energy to be produced in lower winds “wind farms” will grow in popularity. Despite wind energy’s six-tenth of a percent share of the power market, wind energy is the fastest growing source of electrical generation in the world. However, the majority of this growth has take place in Europe, where government policies and high conventional energy cost favor the use of wind energy. Analysts project that by 2020 wind energy will account for six percent of the market despite its miniscule share of the current market (http://www.sierraclub.org/energy,2002). In order for wind power to reach projected figures government support through subsidies and grants will be fundamental support for a transition to this capital intensive power source. Decreasing costs of wind energy and increasing cost of tradition power sources will offset possible problems producing the initial capital required for wind energy. Decreasing cost of wind will stem from lighter materials, higher generation efficiency, greater durability, more reliability and an increased understanding of the optimal locations. Although wind energy is not a 100% environmental friendly power source, it is cleaner than all non-renewable resources. “Wind farms” might require an increase in land usage per kilowatt this land can still be sublet to ranchers and farmers. In time, engineers are bound to protect birds from windmills protecting bird species and the windmills. These small environmental concerns are a drop in the bucket when weighed against the immeasurable pollution caused by traditional sources. If costs of pollution could be added into costs per kilowatt-hour renewable resources like wind energy would be the only economically viable options for consumers. Other immeasurable factors such as foreign policy based on economic interactions and trade deficits also make wind energy more socially and economically valuable. In the next twenty years, wind energy cost will drop bellow traditional power cost and technology will make wind power economic viable. As wind power becomes economically viable, the United States cannot afford not to join the rest of the world by exploiting the fastest growing energy source.

largest industrial source of air pollution (http://www.sierraclub.org/energy,2002). Besides the environmental effects of renewable resources reduce dependence on foreign fuels and precious domestic resources. The United States is an excellent location for wind power; many areas of the U.S have almost too much wind. One major problem with wind power is that power demands fluctuate radically, diurnally and annually, often not coinciding with fluctuations in wind production capacity. There are problems with wind power that continue to be resolved, and there is a lot of support for research and development domestically and abroad. As the prices for wind stations drop and the efficiency increases the popularity of wind power will increase in the future. Wind energy projects provide cost-effective and reliable energy in the United States and abroad. The U.S. wind industry currently generates about 3.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year that is enough to meet the annual electricity needs of 1 million people (http://www.awea.org,2002).

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