According to a recent 2010 report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the electricity generating potential of offshore wind resources in the U.S. is 4,150 gigawatts (GW) based on offshore resources from 26 coastal states and the Great Lakes, according to the report entitled “Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Resources for the U.S.”.
NREL says the nation’s total electric generating capacity from all sources was 1,010 GW in 2008. And based on their key findings they indicate that onshore U.S. wind resources could generate nearly 37,000,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) annually, more than nine times current total U.S. electricity consumption.
This is good news for wind energy and the type of energy consumption it could generate for the U.S. For more information on wind energy research, visit the NREL site on Wind Research. The University of Massachusetts also has a Wind Energy Center with very good information.