"During the early 1970's the price of oil reached a critically high level. This crisis prompted the United States government to utilize a more readily available and cheaper source of energy: wind. Since that time the United States and other industrialized nations have made great strides in improving the efficiency of wind energy technology. These strides should prove beneficial for those oil dependent nations who are, once again, suffering from the recent rise in oil prices. Wind energy has emerged as one of the most viable alternatives for the industrialized nations that are scrambling to reduce their dependence on oil. As the technology improves and becomes more widely used, other issues, such as government regulations, have come into play. This book focuses on three areas of this increasingly important topic: the technology used to make wind energy, the state and federal regulations that may be applied to wind energy projects, and recent commercial projects."--Publisher's website.