Wind power in Australia is a mode of production of renewable energy. Wind power is a rapidly expanding mode of renewable energy production with an average annual rate of growth in installed capacity of 35% over the five years up to 2011. As at 2015, there were 4187 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity, with another 14962 MW either being planned or under construction. In the year to October 2015, wind power accounted for 4.9% of Australia’s total electricity demand and 33.7% of total renewable energy supply. As at October 2015, there were 76 wind farms in Australia, most of which had turbines of from 1.5 to 3 MW. South Australia has 35% of Australia’s wind power capacity, accounting for 34% of that state’s electricity needs as of 2015. By the end of 2011 wind power in South Australia reached 26% of the State’s electricity generation, 4 edging out coal fired power for the first time. At that stage South Australia, with only 7.2% of Australia’s population, had 54% of Australia’s installed wind capacity. Victoria also has a substantial system, with just under 30% of the Australia’s capacity as of 2015. In August 2015, the Victorian government announced financial backing for new wind farms as part of a push to encourage renewable energy in the state, which was expected to bring forward the building of a modest 100 MW of new wind energy in the state, worth $200 million in investment. The government expected that there were about 2400 MW worth of Victorian projects that had been approved but were yet to be built. Australia has excellent wind resources by world standards. The southern coastline lies in the roaring forties and hundreds of sites have average wind speeds above 8 or even 9 m/s at 50 m above ground (the hub height of a modern wind generator). The southwest of Western Australia, southern South Australia, western Victoria, northern Tasmania and elevated areas of New South Wales and Queensland have good wind resources. Several states engaged in systematic wind speed monitoring in the 1980s and 1990s, the results of which are publicly available. Australian wind farms produce on average capacity factors of 30–35%, making wind an attractive option. South Australia’s large share (along with nearby Victoria) means most of Australia’s wind power occurs around the same time. The correlation between South Australia and NSW is 0.34, whereas the correlation between South Australia and Tasmania is 0.10. As of October 2010, wind power accounted for approximately 5 TWh out of a total of 251 TWh of electricity used per year, enough electricity to intermittently power more than 700,000 homes during periods of high winds,[10] and amounting to about two percent of Australia’s total electricity consumption. This came from 52 operating wind farms with greater than 100 kW capacity, consisting of a total of 1,052 turbines. This figure represented approximately a 30% increase in wind power generation each year over the previous decade, or a total increase of more than 1,000% over that time. The total installed capacity at October 2010 was 1,880 MW (1.88 GW), counting only projects over 100 kW, with a further 1,043 MW under construction.