The U.S. is now lagging behind China in development of wind power, according to a new report by the American Wind Energy Association. From Reuters:
A total of 5,116 megawatts of wind power was built in 2010, about half the level the industry added in 2009, as weak electricity prices and the global economic slowdown weighed on the industry, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
That dropped the United States behind China in total installed capacity, as China added 18,900 MW to become the global leader with nearly 45,000 MW of installed capacity.
The United States has about 40,000 MW of capacity, enough to power more than 10 million homes, according to AWEA. Texas remains the biggest contributor, with about one-fourth the total. That total represents about 2 percent of the U.S. power supply.
Wind power still contributed more than a quarter of the total new electricity supply in the country.
