The Energy Department released a report yesterday with the promising news that wind power could be able to meet 20 percent of electricity needs by 2030. This wind electricity could replace 50 percent of natural gas consumption and 18 percent of coal consumtion. Per the Washington Post,

The report said a boost in wind capacity to 20 percent of electricity generation “could potentially defer the need to build some new coal capacity, avoiding or postponing the associated carbon emissions.” The department said that expanding the use of wind to generate power could avert a need for more than 80 gigawatts of new coal-fired generating capacity; its current projections say that new coal-fired plants capable of producing about 140 gigawatts of power could be built by 2030 to meet rising demand.

And, as we all know from Doc Brown, it only takes 1.21 gigawatts to make a DeLorean travel through time, so averting 80 gigawatts of coal-burning would be pretty impressive. Think of how many Marty McFlys we could have running around! However, there is a downside, the article tells us.

But in a report drawn up by its national laboratories, the department said that meeting the target would require more improvements in turbine technology, cost reductions, new transmission lines, an expansion of the wind industry and a fivefold increase in the pace of wind-turbine installation.

Oh, no! The ability to create new technology might take research and funding and effort? Never mind then. However, if that hasn’t swayed you away from this crazy idea, and go to the Department of Energy’s website they’ve set up about the goal, and how it can be met.

Read More:

The Department of Energy’s Wind and Hydropower Technologies Home Page

America’s First Wind Powered City

Residential Solar Turbine Use on the Rise