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Appendix C
Comparison of Different Power-Generation Methods 269

2 gigawatts to its existing capacity of approximately 4.5 gigawatts. Iowa
and Minnesota are expected to each produce 1 gigawatt by late-2007.
Wind power generation in the United States was up 31.8 percent in
February 2007 from February, 2006. The average output of one megawatt
of wind power is equivalent to the average electricity consumption of
about 250 American households. According to the American Wind
Energy Association, wind will generate enough electricity in 2008 to
power just over 1 percent (4.5 million households) of total electricity in
United States, up from less than 0.1 percent in 1999. U.S. Department of
Energy studies have concluded wind harvested in Texas, Kansas, and
North Dakota could provide enough electricity to power the entire nation,
and that offshore wind farms could do the same job. Because the author
th
grew in North Dakota (50 of the fifty states in tourist attraction), this is
an opportunity to put in a plug for my home state because it is number
one in wind-energy potential.

Top Wind States (North Dakota #1)

With the push started in 2008 by Texas oilman, T. Boone Pickens, to ptg
cut the U.S.’s demand for foreign oil, wind energy has been significantly
promoted in television ads. As stated previously, Texas, Kansas, and
North Dakota alone could provide via wind power for all the electricity
needed to power the entire United States. Table C.5 gives the top 20
states in wind power potential. North Dakota (the author’s home state)
is listed as number 1, followed by Texas and Kansas.
Table C.5 Top Wind States—Annual Wind-Energy Potential in Billions of Kilowatt Hours

Rank State Annual Potential (Billion KWH)
1 North Dakota 1,210
2 Texas 1,190
3 Kansas 1,070
4 South Dakota 1,030
5 Montana 1,020
6 Nebraska 868
7 Wyoming 747
8 Oklahoma 725
9 Minnesota 657
10 Iowa 551
11 Colorado 481