A Watt is a basic unit of electrical energy. A Kilowatt (KW) is one thousand watts. An average US household uses about 12,000 KW hours annually, according to the EPA). A Megawatt (MW) is one million watts, a measure usually mentioned in connection with powerplants. A billion watts is a measure typically associated with electricity grids, which generate many hundred billions of kilowatt hours. A Quad is short for quadrillion-- a thousand trillion—which is the aggregate term for the volume of energy measures at national and world levels.

The Electricity Grid is the term given to regional centers that collect and distribute electricity. International standards require that electricity grids collect, from a variety of power sources, enough electricity to satisfy anticipated demand. Consequently, the grid must carefully monitor both supply and demand, maintaining a satisfactory level of electrical power at all times. The electricity grid for our region is the PJM Interconnection, short for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland. Our regional utility, Allegheny Power, is the intermediate link between consumers and the PJM grid. In 2004, Allegheny Power bought power from coal—53%; nuclear—37%; and natural gas—6 %, along with a sprinkling of other power sources.

A wind turbine is designed to generate optimal electrical power relative to its size, shape, ability to withstand stresses, rotor sweep and efficiency, and location, among other conditions. If the wind were to blow at a sufficiently consistent velocity all the time and the turbine never broke down, the turbine would be operating at 100 percent of its capacity potential over a year's time--its Rated Capacity. Currently, many of the wind turbines targeted for use have a rated capacity to generate 1.5-2.5  MWs annually. However, because the wind is intermittent and volatile, and the  turbines  at various times require maintenance, they actually will produce electricity only some of the time. Using a combination of  considerations, such as meteorological testing results, weather history, the history of turbine effectiveness, among others, energy experts assign a Capacity Factor for each turbine model, which predicts the amount of electricity a turbine will actually produce in a year. No existing windplants located in the PJM region have achieved a capacity factor of more than 30 percent. This means that 70 percent of the time they are not producing electricity-- perhaps the wind industry's major technological problem. Consequently, a windplant rated at 47 MWs, for example, will  generate electricity in the neighborhood of 12-15 MWs (25-30 % of its rated capacity).

Wind Potential is a predictor of wind quality, usually expressed on a scale of 1-8. Wind potential scales of 3-5 are considered good enough for industrial wind energy production—the higher, the better. The uplands of Maryland have less than one-tenth of one percent of the nation's good wind potential. The uplands of the US east of the Mississippi have about five percent of the nation's total potential. By far the best wind potential region in Maryland is the Chesapeake Bay.