Posted on 01/18/2008 5:25:03 AM PST by alnitak
Shattering all its previous records, the U.S. wind energy industry installed 5,244 megawatts (MW) in 2007, expanding the nation’s total wind power generating capacity by 45% in a single calendar year and injecting an investment of over $9 billion into the economy, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced today. The new wind projects account for about 30% of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007 and will power the equivalent of 1.5 million American households annually while strengthening U.S. energy supply with clean, homegrown electric power.
“This is the third consecutive year of record-setting growth, establishing wind power as one of the largest sources of new electricity supply for the country,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “This remarkable and accelerating growth is driven by strong demand, favorable economics, and a period of welcome relief from the on-again, off-again, boom-and-bust, cycle of the federal production tax credit (PTC) for wind power.”
“But the PTC and tax incentives for other renewable energy sources are now in danger of lapsing at the end of this year—and at the worst moment for the U.S economy,” added Swisher. “The U.S. wind industry calls on Congress and the President to quickly extend the PTC—the only existing U.S. incentive for wind power—in order to sustain this remarkable growth along with the manufacturing jobs, fresh economic opportunities, and reduction of global warming pollution that it provides.”
The U.S. wind power fleet now numbers 16,818 MW and spans 34 states. American wind farms will generate an estimated 48 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of wind energy in 2008, just over 1% of U.S. electricity supply, powering the equivalent of over 4.5 million homes.
(Excerpt) Read more at awea.org ...
ping!
That blows.
At what point will this technology pay off and no longer need tax dollars to get it started and prop it up?
law-of-small numbers alert.
< / environut>
Since wind normally supplies about 1/3 of installed capacity due to the unreliability of wind I’m suspicious of the numbers.
Lapse is good. Let alternative energy production techniques live or die on their own merits. For that matter, let standard energy production techniques live or die on their own merits.
So, wind power is nearly $2/watt installed. (Not including maintenance.)
The new wind projects account for about 30% of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007
Please remember to thank a greenie for prohibiting the production of most real power plants.
and will power the equivalent of 1.5 million American households annually
Why, that's just $6000 per household, only a few times more than buying each one a small diesel generator.
“This remarkable and accelerating growth is driven by strong demand, favorable economics, and a period of welcome relief from the on-again, off-again, boom-and-bust, cycle of the federal production tax credit (PTC) for wind power.”
In other words, it can't be done without subsidies.
“But the PTC and tax incentives for other renewable energy sources are now in danger of lapsing at the end of this year—and at the worst moment for the U.S economy,” added Swisher. “The U.S. wind industry calls on Congress and the President to quickly extend the PTC—the only existing U.S. incentive for wind power—in order to sustain this remarkable growth along with the manufacturing jobs, fresh economic opportunities, and reduction of global warming pollution that it provides.”
Hey dude, if it were a net economic benefit, you wouldn't need coercive and involuntary subsidies. The money that fills your trough comes away from things people would rather spend their money on, which is to say, would provide greater economic benefit to them if they could only choose to spend it that way.
Won’t be much longer before we are told wind mills are stripping so much energy out of the winds across the plains that the weather is being negatively impacted!
We are DOOMED! DOOMED!
Only the ones too stupid to fly around.
Darwin effect.
... and really tall basketball players ... windmills hate really tall basketball players.
And I know how we could double the amount of wind energy in 2008.
Set wind turbines up in rings around Washington D.C. and the state capitol cities. Whether the the politicians there are full of hot air, or the laws they pass are so bad that it sucks, there will be enough airflow to match what is already being used in today’s turbines.
My guess would be that we'll never find out. Tax incentives are just another form of welfare, and once they start, they're nearly impossible to end.
He showed YOU COMMONERS what Green Power Wa$!
The article stated capacity, which as you note is significantly different than generation. Your 33% capacity factor is optimistic. I think the industry average is in the range of 25-30%. Which is weird because if any other form of capacity produced in that range there’d be calls for whoever planned it to be sacked on the spot.
LOL! That was claimed yesterday on FR.
“At what point will this technology pay off and no longer need tax dollars to get it started and prop it up?”
Solar power as well as any power that can be generated by water is probably a good thing. It’s a resource that is forever.
When I living in South Dakota, students at the school of Mines & Tech created an engine that got over 100 miles per gallon. The newspapers heralded it as a major breakthrough.
A couple of weeks later the engine was gone and the students were not talking. The press didn’t say a thing.
The only way in our lifetimes will we see anything other then the combustion engine is when environmentalists and business sit down together to discuss how we can best do this. Where business can continue to make the profits they are used to and the environment gets cleaner.
Really, there is no incentive for business to do it with the mandated government regulations that prohibit businesses from investment in these energy sources.
Wonder how much that cost to put in and save 1% on our usage?
They didn't want to admit they had been fooled again.
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