Despite opposition,offshore wind farms seem poised to make their mark

摘要

With increased demand for sus-tainable energyrnsources, wind power is beginning to establish itselfrnas a viable alternative in the United States.rnAccording to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) in Washington, D.C., total U.S. wind power capacity as of March 31 was 11,699 megawatts, or about 0.7 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Small as that might be, this total reflects yearly increases in output of about 2,400 megawatts in 2005 and 2006. For all of 2007, the association projects an increase of about 3,000 megawatts, all of it from land-based wind farms. At present there are no offshore wind farms operating in the United States, but that may be about to change.