GE Energy adds capacity

GE Energy has announced that it will provide an additional 600 megawatts of wind turbine capacity to Invenergy Wind for projects in the US and Canada that will start next year.

Invenergy previously announced the purchase of 600 megawatts of GE Energy wind turbines for 2007 projects. The latest order brings the total to 1,200 megawatts of GE 1.5-megawatt machines for projects over the next two years, which is enough power for more than 300,000 homes.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reported that US wind power generating capacity increased by 27% in 2006 and is expected to increase an additional 26% in 2007. The US wind industry installed more than 2.4 gigawatts of wind turbines during 2006, with GE wind turbines accounting for nearly half of that total.

One of the largest sources of new power generation in the US, wind energy has become a mainstream option for meeting a growing electricity demand. One megawatt of wind power produces enough electricity on average to serve 250 to 300 US homes.

According to the AWEA, wind energy facilities currently installed in the 

will produce an estimated 31 billion kilowatt-hours annually or enough electricity to serve 2.9 million American homes.