100,000 wind turbines

Source: Kay Anderson | Environment, Publications, U.S.

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In California (population 35 million), according to the state energy commission, 14,000 turbines (about 1,800 MW capacity) produced half of one percent of their electricity in 2000. Extrapolating this record to the U.S. as a whole, and without accounting for an increase in energy demand, well over 100,000 1.5-MW wind towers (costing $150-300 billion) would be necessary to meet the Dept. of Energy goal of a mere 5% of the country’s electricity from wind by 2010.