Catching the wind

After a 20-year hiatus, the US wind power industry has grown rapidly in the past two years. Its future, however, depends on Congress drawing up clear, long-term legislation, finds Neil O'Hara

Years after losing the lead in wind power generation to Europe, the US is making a comeback. The industry added more than 2,400 megawatts (MW) of wind turbine capacity in 2005, almost as much as the entire installed base of five years earlier. In August, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced that capacity had surpassed 10,000 MW for the first time. It expects 3,000 MW to be added this year, and growth will continue next year too. What happens after that, though, depends