Wind power in the United States
The 2011 NREL report, "Large-Scale Offshore Wind Power in the United States", analyzes the current state of the offshore wind energy industry. According to the report, offshore wind resource development would help the country to achieve 20% of its electric power from wind by 2030 and to revitalize the manufacturing sector. Offshore wind could supply 54 gigawatts of capacity to the nation's electrical grid, thereby increasing energy security. It could also generate an estimated $200 billion in new economic activity and create thousands of permanent jobs. NREL’s report concludes that "the development of the nation’s offshore wind resources can provide many potential benefits, and that offshore wind energy could play a vital role in future U.S. energy markets".
Wind power in Maine
As of the end of 2016, 901 megawatts of wind generation capacity had been installed in Maine.
In 2016 wind power generated nearly 14% of the state's total electricity.
Former Governor John Baldacci set a goal for the state of 2,000 megawatts of wind power installed by 2015 and 3,000 MW by 2020. While the 2015 goal was not met, wind power still provides Maine with over 10 percent of its generation. Since 2007 windpower generation has increased more than 16 times from 99 GWH generated for 2007 to 1623 GWH for 2016.