Wind technology advancing rapidly, challenges remain
Wind turbine technology is improving rapidly, but challenges--especially the current very low cost of natural gas and uncertainty concerning the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC)--remain, according to presenters on a WINDPOWER 2012 session entitled "Post 2012: Wind Market Assessment of Supply, Demand & Cost."
In a talk focusing on technology improvement and innovation, Matt Kaplan of IHS Emerging Energy Research (IHS-EER) had some very positive news. His firm, Kaplan said, predicts that the average capacity of the U.S. fleet will increase due to continuing changes in towers and turbines due to a "clear trend" toward turbines optimized for lower-wind-speed sites. Kaplan cited the GE 1.6-100, a relatively new turbine with an increased rotor diameter, as an ...





