"All US electricity demands could be met by wind power"

Offshore wind turbines could meet all of the US' electricity needs, according to a report from the country's interior department.

Speaking at a renewable energy conference, secretary of the interior Ken Salazar said wind off the coasts of the lower 48 states had the capacity to generate a total of 1,900 gigawatts.

"The wind potential off the coasts of the lower 48 states actually exceeds our entire US electricity demand," he said.

While he was optimistic about the potential for a clean energy future, he also noted that "the realities of climate change are upon us" and highlighted a range of problems to which wind energy could be a solution.

"Our dependence on foreign oil is a national security problem, an environmental security problem, and an economic security problem," said Mr Salazar.

The report claims that the commercially feasible locations for wind power developments given current technologies could provide at least a fifth of almost all of the electricity needed in the country's 28 coastal states.

Report