John Oliver, the Brit correspondent for The Daily Show has some surprising news about wind energy. "It turns out wind has actually been horrifically overfarmed," he asserts in Terrifying Times, his first standup special for Comedy Central. He forecasts that in a few decades, "there will be no wind whatsoever."

John, John, John. As long as politicians roam the earth, there will never be a shortage of wind.

But you are completely accurate in describing the interest in current affairs.

The U.S. is rapidly expanding its wind energy production and in a couple of years is expected to surpass the global leader, Germany.

The American Wind Energy Association forecasts that in the U.S. this year, wind energy will be “harvested” at a rate of 48 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh), enough electricity for about 4.5 million homes. This will account for only about one percent of the national electrical needs, and far less than what we could be reaping. The association estimates that the U.S. energy potential from wind is 10,777 billion kWh per year.

Newly updated wind maps show which states have the most wind. Foreign maps are also available.

If you aren't blown away by the idea of wind power, take two minutes and watch this short animation from the Department of Energy set to techno music. The voiceover is wonky but the pro-wind video provides a quick and spirited look inside the guts of a modern windmill.

-Brad Scriber

Comments