This impetus prompted countries: notably Denmark and the United States, to establish government research and development(R&D)programs to improve wind turbine technology.in conjunction with private industry research this lead to a reemergence in the 1980's ofwind energy in the United States and Europe when the first modern grid-connected wind turbines were installed. In the 1990's this development accelerated. with wind becoming the fastest growing energy technology in the world developing into a commercially competitive global power generation industry. While in 1990 only about 2000 MW ofgrid-connected wind power was in operation worldwide by 1999 this figure had surpassed 10.000 MW.not including the over one million water-pumping wind turbines located in remote areas. Since 1990 the annual growth rate in world wind generating capacity has been 24 average percent with of 30 percent in the last two years. Today there is more than 13.000 MW rates over of installed wind power, double the capacity that was in placejust three years earlier(Figure 3). This dramatic growth rate in wind power has created one of the most rapidly expanding industries in the world, with sales of roughly $2 billion in 1998 and predictions of tenfold growth over the next decade. Most 2000 forecasts for installed capacity are being quickly eclipsed with wind power having already passed the 10,000 MW mark in early 1999.