Wind Energy Facts
Operating wind power capacity in the United States now stands at 160 gigawatts (GW), enough to power nearly 50 million average American homes.1
More than 7 GW of land-based wind energy generation came online in the United States in 2025, constituting 13% of all new utility-scale power generation installations. Over the past decade, wind energy has represented nearly 30% of total capacity additions, driving a record number of domestic wind energy jobs. In 2025, more than 150,000 Americans were working in the wind industry, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Fact: Wind energy helps consumers
The cost of electricity from wind has dropped significantly in the past decade, and it is now among the cheapest sources of electricity in many places across the United States.2 Utility-scale renewable energy prices are now significantly lower than those for coal and gas generation, and they are less than half the cost of nuclear. In some cases, power from building new wind energy generation is even cheaper than running existing coal plants. By adding more wind energy to their systems, utilities can help make sure that the consumer costs of energy remain stable, since wind farms are not affected by fluctuating fuel prices.
Fact: Wind energy is reliable.
Wind energy is the largest source of renewable electricity in the United States, generating over 9% of the country’s electricity. To put that into perspective, wind now generates enough electricity to meet the demands of California (the world’s fourth-largest economy) and Illinois combined. Twelve states—Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming—each generated more than 20% of their electricity from wind in 2025. In five states—Iowa (61%), Kansas (47%), New Mexico (35%), Oklahoma (50%), and South Dakota (52%)—wind is now the single largest source of electricity generation.1
Fact: Well-sited wind farms will help save birds.
Wind farms are sited to avoid critical bird migratory paths and to minimize impacts on sensitive species. Wind farms cause far fewer bird deaths than communications towers and other types of infrastructure, and they play an important part in offsetting the emissions that are causing global temperatures to rise, an effect that scientists expect may put two-thirds of North American birds at increasing risk of extinction.4 Wind energy is responsible for less than 0.01% of human-caused bird fatalities (less than 1 out of every 10,000 bird deaths).3
Fact: Wind energy generation is one of the world’s healthiest sources of electricity.
More than 20 years of research by governments, universities, and public health authorities across the globe has repeatedly confirmed that wind turbines properly sited in accordance with industry standards pose no threat to public health. Over 100 peer-reviewed scientific studies evaluated by independent experts on wind energy and health have reached the same conclusion. A well-regarded Canadian study examined people living in close proximity to wind energy facilities. Based on those examinations and self-reported data from those living near turbines, the study found no evidence that wind turbine sound has any effect on sleep, illnesses, chronic health conditions, perceived stress, or quality of life.5 Furthermore, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health6 and the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory7 have found that renewable energy generation can have health benefits worth billions of dollars each year.
Fact: All energy sources have incentives.
The U.S. government has a long history of supporting the development of electricity generation technologies, fuel production, and improving our electric grid. Between 1950 and 2016, 65% of all energy subsidies went to conventional fuel sources (coal, gas, and nuclear).8 Today, wind and solar projects are eligible for either the investment tax credit (ITC) or the production tax credit (PTC). Unlike a grant or direct subsidy, these tax credits reduce income tax obligations for wind or solar project owners based on the amount of energy produced or the overall capital cost of the project.
To qualify for these credits, projects are required to meet prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements. In addition, projects can qualify for improved credits if they use wind turbines or solar panels that are manufactured in the United States. The increased industry demand for domestically made equipment is driving new investment in U.S. manufacturing capacity and creating manufacturing jobs. These incentives are being phased out for wind and solar projects starting construction after 2027.
Tax credits for energy are not unique to wind and solar. The PTC remains available to many other sources of energy, including nuclear, geothermal, and hydroelectric power through 2033.
In recent years new incentives have been offered to the coal industry, which has generally lost ground to cheaper sources of energy like natural gas and renewables. These subsidies include new federal tax credits for coal production, reduced royalty rates for coal extracted from public lands, and direct subsidies to coal companies via federal grants.
Fact: Wind farms increase local income, land, and property values.
According to a 2022 study published in the Energy Policy Journal, “… wind energy installation led to economically meaningful increases in county GDP per-capita, income per-capita, median household income, and median home values.”9 These effects begin during project construction and accelerate through a project’s operating years. Even better, the study finds that these benefits continue to scale as the amount of installed generating capacity per capita increases. In other words, the more wind energy in a community, the greater the economic benefit its residents will receive.
