See:
http://www.awea.org/newsroom/pdf/070202__GWEC_Global_Market_Annual_Statistics.pdf
QUOTE:
"Brussels, 2 February 2007. The booming wind energy markets around
the world exceeded expectations in 2006, with the sector experiencing
yet another record year. On the day of the publication of the 4th
Assessment Report on Climate Change by the IPCC, the Global Wind
Energy Council (GWEC) released its annual figures for 2006. These
figures, which include wind energy developments in more than 70
countries around the world, show that the year saw the installation
of 15,197 megawatts (MW), taking the total installed wind energy
capacity to 74,223 MW, up from 59,091 MW in 2005."
New installations of 15,197 equal approximately 5 average U.S.
nuclear reactors (taking into account actual use, not nameplate capacity)
Installed capacity of 74,223 MW equals approximately 25 average U.S.
nuclear reactors.
Note that the U.S. has about 100 nuclear reactors which supply 20% of
electricity. In other words, it would take ~500 nuclear reactors to
supply U.S. electricity, or ~20 times the present world wind energy
capacity. At the rate wind energy is growing, it will reach this
capacity in 95 years.
To put it another way, the U.S. uses around 25% of all of electricity
in the world, so in 95 years wind might supply about a quarter of
all electricity worldwide. With present-day technology that is as
much as wind or some other intermittent source can supply without
expensive modifications to the distribution network. Of course the
demand for electricity will grow, but by the same token the cost of
modifying the distribution network may fall, especially if
super-capacitors are developed.
In short, wind energy is not negligible, but it will have to grow
much faster to have a significant impact in time to affect global
warming. There is no reason why it should not go more quickly. The
presently installed wind capacity cost $23 billion. In an
unrealistically expensive linear extrapolation, assuming we expand
present wind capacity by a factor of 20 with current technology, it
would cost $460 billion. This is roughly comparable to the cost of
the war in Iraq, which is presently $364 billion and is expected to
reach roughly $2 trillion (for the U.S.) by the time all disabled veterans die.
There is plenty of wind capacity -- more than enough to generate not
only all of the electricity, but all of the energy we use in the
United States and northern Europe. This would leave capacity to
spare, which could be used to generate liquid fuel for export.
Countries closer to the equator have less potential wind energy.
To summarize, wind could solve most of the energy crisis, but it
would be expensive.
- Jed
