U.S. to Increase Wind Power Efforts

The United States would be able to produce 5% of the nation’s energy from wind by the year 2020 under a new Energy Department plan, an agency official said. The level at 2010 would be 10,000 megawatts, enough electricity to fulfill the annual needs of 3 million households, the official said. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson will unveil the so-called Wind Powering America initiative Monday at the annual meeting of the American Wind Energy Assn. in Burlington, Vt. He also plans to announce $1.2 million in grants for wind turbine tests in 10 states, but the states were not listed.