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1、Windpowercapacitygrewrapidlyin1998PreliminaryestimatesbytheWorldwatchInstitutehavefoundthattheworldadded2,100megawattsofwindgeneratingcapacityin1998,35percentmorethanwasaddedin1997.Windpowerisnowtheworld'sfastestgrowingenergysource,accordingtoWorldwatch.Thewindturbinesaddedin1998havepushed
2、overallwindgeneratingcapacityworldwideto9,600megawatts--doublethecapacityinplacethreeyearsearlier.Thesewindturbineshavethepowertogenerateroughly21billionkilowatt-hoursofelectricityin1999--enoughfor3.5millionsuburbanhomes,saysWorldwatch.Thewindpowerindustryisalsoexpandingrapidly,withsalesof
3、roughly$2billionin1998.Thewindindustryiscreatingthousandsofjobsatatimewhenemploymentinmanufacturingisfallinginmanynations,accordingtoWorldwatch.Fournationsleadthegrowthinwindenergy:Germany,Denmark,SpainandtheUnitedStates.Germanyincreaseditscapacitythemostin1998,adding800megawatts,pushingit
4、swindenergycapacitytomorethan2,800megawatts.Germany'sseven-year-oldwindindustryisalreadyproducingasmuchelectricityastwoofthecountry'slargestcoal-firedpowerplants,accordingtoWorldwatch.InthewindynorthernstateofSchleswigHolstein,windnowprovides15percentoftheelectricity.Spainadded395megawatts
5、ofwindpowerin1998,pushingthecountry'soverallcapacityup86percentto850megawatts.InthenorthernindustrialstateofNavarra,whichhasaparticularlyactivewindenergyindustry,23percentofthestate'selectricityalreadycomesfromwindturbines,mostofthemmanufacturedinlocalassemblyfacilitiesthatemployhundredsof
6、workersintheareaaroundPamplona.WindpowerinstallationsalsogrewrapidlyintheUnitedStatesin1998,withapproximately235megawattsofnewcapacityaddedacross10differentstates.ThesurgeinU.S.windinvestmentwasspurredbyeffortstotakeadvantageofawindenergytaxcreditthatisscheduledtoexpireinJune1999,according
7、toWorldwatch.Thelargestprojectsarea107-megawattwindfarminMinnesota,oneof42megawattsinWyoming,andoneof25megawattsinOregon.Mostoftherestofthenewcapacitycamefromseveraldozensmallprojects,rangingfromMainetoNewMexico.Denmarkadded235megawattsofcapacitythispastyear.T
