Major investments last year helped the United States surpass Germany to become the world’s leader in wind power, according to a report recently released by the U.S. Department of Energy. Wind now delivers nearly 2% of the nation’s electricity supply. For the fourth year in a row, the United States is home to the fastest-growing wind power market in the world.

Wind power capacity increased by 60% in 2008, representing $16.4 billion in federal and private investments in new wind projects. Total U.S. wind capacity at the end of 2008 was 25,369 megawatts, compared with 23,933 for Germany, the Energy Department said.

That raised to nearly $45 billion the total wind power investment in the United States since the 1980s. One megawatt of electricity generally is enough to power 750 to 1,000 homes.