Wind power production capacity up by 20 percent

Production capacity by wind turbines increased 20 percent last year to 47,317 megawatts, the Global Wind Energy Council said Monday in a statement. One megawatt is estimated to be enough to power 500 homes in the United States. Germany continued to top the list of production capacity, with 16,629 megawatts, or 35 percent of the total. Spain had capacity of 8,263 megawatts and 17 percent of the total, and plans to add another 2,065 megawatts of production capacity this year.
The United States had 6,740 megawatts of capacity and 14 percent of the total, but added only 389 megawatts last year.