Is the answer blowin’ in the wind?

If “Green” is the next Red White and Blue, then Texas and California have an early lead in the race to redecorate. The American Wind Energy Association just released its 2006 status report, which includes a ranking of U.S. states by how much wind energy they generate. Last year, 2,400 new megawatts (MW) of wind energy came online in the United States. The 34 wind energy-producing states churn out a total of 11,603 MW. (For reference, the Three Mile Island Nuclear power plant is rated at 816 MW.)

The top five states for wind energy are:

1. Texas (subject of FP article The Green Rose of Texas)
2. California
3. Iowa
4. Minnesota
5. Washington

These states are moving aggressively on wind, but I’m disappointed to see that North Dakota, which ranks as highest in wind-energy potential, still lags at number 14 (although that may be due to change soon). See the full list, as well as the 16 states with no wind power after the jump.

States with no wind power production:

• Arizona
• Alabama
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Virginia