Forms of wind energy, such as windmills, have been used for hundreds of years to pump water, grind grains, and perform other farm-related tasks. It was only in the early 1980’s that people began to convert wind into electricity. The first wind farm was built in 1981 in Crotched Mountain, New Hampshire. Directly following, wind farms expanded rapidly in California.However, it was not until the late 1990’s that wind energy development spread across the nation after decreased governmental funding for renewable energy sources in the 1980s and early 1990s. Beginning in 2008, there was a large increase in wind farms and wind technologies which helped push forward a national goal of twenty percent wind energy production (issued by the Department of Energy). Wind energy production has doubled since 2008 with increases expected to continue. Currently, wind energy is the fastest-growing renewable energy source in the nation.
On an international scale, the United States rivals countries such as China, Germany, Spain, and Denmark on wind energy production as a whole. However, the United States is behind when compared to countries on the basis of wind power per capita. This means the USA does not produce nearly as much wind power for the number of people served. The most effective producer of wind power is Denmark who also hosts the first 100% renewable energy sourced island.
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