

Wind turbines are clustered offshore in Dronten, the Netherlands, in July 2006. On April 28, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved the US's first offshore wind farm, approving Cape Wind, a project that would create hundreds of jobs and provide nearly 75 percent of the power needed by the Cape and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Peter Dejong/AP/File
Wind turbines that make up part of one of the world's biggest offshore wind farms operated by Dong Energy is seen in the North Sea west of Denmark's Jutland peninsula in September 2009. Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik, flipped a switch on Sept. 17, 2009, to start the 91 wind turbines, which Dong Energy says have a production capacity of 209 megawatts, enough to power 200,000 homes. Denmark, a pioneer in wind energy, has six other offshore wind farms. Jasper Carlberg/AP/FILE
President Obama tours the Siemens Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturing Plant in Fort Madison, Iowa, with plant manager Robert Gjuraj on April 27. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Power-generating wind turbines are seen at the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) station in Ngong Hills near Nairobi, Kenya, in July 2009. Kenya plans to add 2,000 megawatts of more environmentally friendly energy by 2013 by investing $7-$8 billion, according to a KenGen official. KenGen is setting up some wind turbines, and a private company is planning a 300 megawatt wind farm in Kenya's northeastern region by 2012. Thomas Mukoya/Reuters
The first German offshore wind energy power plant is seen in the North Sea on April 26. Frank Augstein/AP
A service vessel waits next to a wind energy plant in the offshore energy park in the North Sea, Alpha Ventus, on April 26. The Alpha Ventus wind farm started its production on April 27. Christian Charisius/Reuters
A sheep grazes beneath a wind energy facility near Klanxbuell, Germany, on April 14. Heribert Propper/AP
Wind power is a rapidly growing industry around the world. Total worldwide capacity stands at over 1.5% of energy generated, up from only 0.75% in 2005. In the US, California has taken a leading role in installing wind power infrastructure. In this photo, windmills are seen near Palm Springs, California. Newscom/File
Blades of massive wind turbines sit outside a factory in Baoding City, Hebei Province, China, on June 24, 2009. China, the world's No. 2 energy user and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is mapping out a plan to stimulate its renewable energy sector, including wind and solar power. The country's wind power capacity was the fourth-largest in the world last year. Stephen Shaver/UPI/Newscom
A wind farm in the Mojave desert is pictured. Despite the massive difference in environmental impact between renewable energy and traditional energy sources, criticism still surrounds some turbines and solar installations. Danger to flying animals is often cited as a concern in the use of windmills, though the burning of fossil fuels for energy can kill 20 times more birds. The Department of the Interior is currently studying several potential large solar installations that will be among the most ambitious public lands renewable efforts in the region. A network of environmental groups are mobilizing to stop the projects, sighting their impact on the desert tortoise, among other species. Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post/Zuma/Newscom/File
Wind turbines are seen on the roof of an apartment building under construction in the Melrose neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, in January 2009. The 10 one-kilowatt turbines will be used to generate power, supplemented by a power plant in the basement supplying electricity to the common areas of the building. The residents will still be getting their power from Con Edison. The savings to the owners of the building is estimated to be $9,000 per year. Richard B. Levine/Newscom/File
This photo, taken on July 15, 2009, shows an offshore wind power farm under construction off the northern German Island of Borkum. A total of 12 wind turbines will produce enough energy for 50,000 homes per year. David Hecker/AFP/DDP
British engineer Richard Jenkins poses with the world's fastest wind-powered land vehicle, the 'Greenbird,' at the Science Museum in central London, on August 3, 2009. Shaun Curry/AFP/Newscom
Some 1,000 villagers gather to take part in a giant human art formation of a wind turbine in Maharashtra, India, on July 30, 2009, in protest against the construction of coal-fired power plants planned in the region by the Maharashtra government. Ritesh Uttamchanda/Reuters/Greenpeace/Newscom
Wind turbines are seen in Altamont Pass, Calif. In total, Altamont is home to more than 6,000 turbines built with 1980's tax incentives. Newscom/File
Communities throughout south Cheshire, England, are being urged to contribute to a fight to prevent the construction of a wind turbine in Bickerton. Aesthetic concerns are often at the forefront of the wind power debate. Several projects, notably Massachusetts' Cape Wind project have been delayed over the controversy. Zuma/Newscom/File
Wind energy turbines are seen on top of mountain in Laussa, Obersterreich, Austria. Zuma/Newscom/File
Turbines are seen atop a hill in the Golan Heights, a highly contested land straddling the borders of Syria and Israel. Israel has controversially controlled most of the Golan since the Six Day War in 1967. Newscom/File