Posted on 11/10/2007 2:57:29 AM PST by alnitak
AWEA QUARTERLY MARKET REPORT: WIND DELIVERS VITAL NEW POWER SUPPLY WITH OVER 2,300 MEGAWATTS
INSTALLED THIS YEAR TO DATE
Wind energy trade group raises estimate for 2007 installations,
calls on U.S government to deliver strong renewable energy legislation
Continuing a major growth trend, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today announced a substantial increase in the projected installation of new wind energy facilities in 2007.
Previous projections for a record-setting 3,000 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity in 2007 have now been raised: AWEA reports that the U.S. wind energy industry is currently on track to complete a total 4,000 MW in 2007, shattering its 2006 record of 2,454 MW, and generating enough new electricity to power the equivalent of over one million homes.
In its third quarter market report, AWEA also reports that the industry has already added over 2,300 MW of generating capacity to the nation’s electrical grid so far this year with a total of more than 5,000 MW in various stages of construction, establishing wind as one of the largest sources of new power in the country today.
“The U.S wind energy industry is going to exceed what was already a record projection for installations this year,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “This is great news because it means that new, readily available, clean generation is reaching consumers at a time when electricity demand and global warming concerns are both on the rise.
“But the not-so-good news is that, even as we face these twin challenges [climate change and growing energy demand], our country does not have a long-term, national policy in place to promote renewable energy development.”
The federal production tax credit (PTC) for renewable energy will expire in December 2008, and there is no national renewable electricity standard (RES) or other long-term policy in place.
Commented Swisher, “A national long-term policy to promote renewable energy, like the Renewable Electricity Standard approved by the House of Representatives in August, is essential for wind and other renewable energy industries to grow successfully and cost-effectively. The U.S. wind energy industry urges Congressional leaders and the President to work together and bring to the finish line energy legislation that extends the production tax credit and establishes a national standard for renewable electricity.
“In addition to strengthening energy security and fighting global warming, more wind power and renewables will help stabilize electricity costs, and will create economic opportunity in both industrial and rural America.”
Wind power is delivering a generous return on public investment: the continuity in the PTC since 2005 has spurred both record-breaking new generating capacity (2,431 MW added in 2005, 2,454 MW in 2006, about 4,000 MW expected in 2007) and a wave of investment in manufacturing facilities and services across the country, including in states that do not have a large wind resource. Additional returns include lower pollution costs, and growing income for communities in which wind farms are installed.
The U.S. wind energy industry completed 1,251 MW of wind power generation since last reported, bringing the total installed to date this year to 2,310 MW and the total cumulative wind power generating capacity in the country to 13,885 MW, according to AWEA. One megawatt of wind power produces enough electricity on average to serve 250 to 300 American homes.
State highlights include:
--Texas again added the largest amount of new wind power generation (600 MW);
--Colorado installed 264 MW and now ranks as the state with the 6th-largest amount of wind power generation;
--Washington, with 140 MW of new wind capacity, pulls ahead of Minnesota into 4th place;
--Missouri saw the completion of its first utility-scale wind farm, a 56.7-MW project that generates power for electric cooperatives in the region and that makes Missouri the state with the 21st largest amount of wind power now installed;
--Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Iowa also saw the completion of utility-scale projects.
For a full list of projects completed this quarter, listing of states by capacity installed, and additional market information see http://www.awea.org/projects/
AWEA Third Quarter Market Report (pdf)
AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. The association's membership includes turbine manufacturers, wind project developers, utilities, academicians, and interested individuals. More information on wind energy is available at the AWEA website: www.awea.org.
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Prior "prediction" thread here. Looks like they will blow right past that :-) The previous annual installation record was 3240MW for Germany in 2002.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1832472/posts
ping!
This reads like a sales pitch for American Wind.
Perhaps the solution to our energy probelms is a wind sox on every car. /s
Wind will not solve all our problems, but it is a part of the solution. And we need more of them as soon as possible.
Propellors for all illegal imigrants running across the border. But than there is a problem with extension cords.
Energy independence will ease the effects of globalization because the future energy demands of countries like India and China, as their middle class grows, are going to be tremendous. Even if Middle East supplies remain stable - a huge if - that increased demand will drive prices up dramatically, which will hurt our economy by making everything more expensive here. But if we are energy independent, we will be able not just to take care of our own needs and protect our economy, we will also create jobs and grow our economy by developing technologies that we can sell to the rest of the world to meet their needs. Mike Huckabee.
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=21 I am not a firm MH supporter but... (read tag line)
I have nothing against wind power. I oppose subsidizing it with tax dollars, whether they be federal, state or local.
Here in Pennsylvania, some wind farms were opposed because the locals did not like their look on the top of mountains. Unbelievable.
cars will run off pinwheel power
if you can get pushed fast enough to start it
“Here in Pennsylvania, some wind farms were opposed because the locals did not like their look on the top of mountains. Unbelievable.”
Its not unbelievable, energy producing windmill farms are ugly. Just ask Ted Kennedy.
We have them here in WV and they are awesome!
My wife and I were up in Tucker county and took a little video of them.
Whoooosh!
Over in Maryland, in Garrett county where all the liberal enviro-whackos came up to retire from
the cesspools they created in lower Maryland, they are throwing fits.
They dont want coal. Global warming, air pollution, blah, blah, blah...
But they also don't want wind farms because it assaults their "sensibilities".
Plus the blades whack the less intelligent birds that fly into their path.
You'd think the atheistic darwinists would appreciate cleansing the gene pool of dumb birds.
We might wind up with birds who avoid airplane engines, though this theory hasn't worked for deer.
Exactly.
I’d rather subsidize US energy advancement than send billions every day overseas to the middle east and Venezuala. Neither one is very favorable, though but I’d still prefer the first choice.
Not mentioned in the article, how much of the total installed is actually working at any given moment and how much is down for maintenance.
Twice this year I've flown airplanes from Chattanooga to New Mexico and to SW Colorado. Along the way I flew over literally hundreds of wind mills, both operating and under construction, in west Texas and the Oklahoma panhandle. Somebody ought to think about installing a few outside the door of the US Capital building in DC. There's plenty of wind coming out of there......
Deer get sucked up in airplane engines??!
Who knew?!
;o)
It can happen around late December every year.
American Wind Installs 2,300 MW so far this year, 4000MW expected by year end...
how many are to be erected in front of the kennedy compound at hyannisport????
LOL!! (Took me a bit to figure that one out - where’s my coffee??!)
Amazingly, yes they do!
When the jets fly low through the mountains up here,
apparently the deer are mesmerized by the sound, and leap high into the air.
They usually don't make it into the engines, but they sure give it a try.
They have much more success making it into the engines of cars, via the radiators.
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