Into the Wind - the AWEA Blog

WINDPOWER is coming to the Southeast in June. But wind power, of course, is already there.

The wind industry’s strong manufacturing presence in the Southeast, currently under the threat of an expiration of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC), will be highly evident June 3-6, when the WINDPOWER 2012 Conference & Exhibition takes place in Atlanta, Ga.  That same strong regional presence is apparent in the latest segment of WindTV, the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) vehicle to highlight how wind works for America. The segment focuses on the link between the U.S. wind industry’s premier annual event and the region in which it will be located this year.

The link, in fact, is strong. With the ...

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In California, where the wind boom of the early 1980s was followed by a global oil glut and energy price collapse that stalled new installations in the 1990s, changes are afoot, as many 25- to 30-year-old wind turbines are being removed and replaced by newer machines that are much larger and more productive.

For example, an enXco spokesman said in announcing the purchase of new wind turbines for repowering a Solano project, "We are pleased to be able to implement today's state-of-the-art turbine technology to achieve more than four times greater capacity and nearly 10 times more energy with minimal addition in land resources." In that ...

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In a milestone that marks the beginning of a new era for the national program, six middle and senior high schools were selected from a statewide application process to participate in the Illinois Wind for Schools (ILWFS).

The program, jointly administered by the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) at Western Illinois University and the Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University, comes out of the Wind for Schools initiative that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched several years ago.  DOE is currently not expanding its program funding to additional states beyond the original 12, and anticipates a future of more public-private funding partnerships for the program. The Illinois program is the first to be launched without DOE funding.

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AWEA released its 2011 Annual Market Report yesterday, portraying an industry that continued last year to achieve strong double-digit growth, but faces a damaging period of uncertainty going forward because of the impending expiration of its primary incentive, the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC).

AWEA CEO Denise Bode noted the wind power industry's strong track record during the past five years, in which the industry has enjoyed a stable policy environment, commenting, “American wind energy is creating American jobs and affordable electricity all across the country. We are powering one of the country’s biggest sources of Made-in-the-USA manufacturing jobs and a vital ...

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Daniel Cusick had an excellent story yesterday in the E&E trade newsletter ClimateWire, exploring the difference wind power has made to the small community of West Branch, Iowa (birthplace of President Herbert Hoover), and the potential consequences if Congress fails to extend the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC), which expires at the end of this year.

Because of its favorable geographic location in the center of the windy Midwest and its access to river, rail and highway transportation, the article said, Iowa has become a major hub in the expanding wind power industry (Iowa also ranks ...

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Denver Post editorial writer Alicia Caldwell underlined the newspaper's previous support for an extension of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) yesterday with a brief commentary on "The Spot," the Post's blog.

Said Ms. Caldwell, "In Colorado, both U.S. Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet support the extension. We have editorialized in favor of it. The credit provides important support for a new industry and the jobs it has created, and the credit is crucial to the country’s efforts to diversify its energy base. The boom and bust cycle that ...

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As the end-of-year expiration of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) inches closer, calls for its extension--as soon as possible, to prevent job loss in a growing industry--are growing louder and more widespread.

A series of news articles over the weekend highlighted the thoughts of three individuals from Nevada, Michigan and Montana on the issue.

In Nevada, Jim Walker, who lives in Henderson, Nev., and serves on the board of wind farm developer enXco, commented, "I know at least a couple of projects up in northern Nevada that are being developed that are probably a couple hundred million dollars of investment, which means a lot of construction jobs ...

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Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune says it best: "It’s not every day that you’ll find me agreeing with an executive from BP, but Katrina Landis, the CEO of BP’s Alternative Energy division, was exactly right when she said last month that it would be a mistake to allow the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) to expire at the end of this year: 'It’s a really compelling case of the government incentivizing the development of an industry … that is actually really working.'"

In a post titled "Let success breed success" for his blog at the San Francisco Chronicle, Brune notes that ...

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The Watertown (S.D.) Public Opinion, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, Wednesday became the latest in a series of newspapers across the country to support an extension of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC).

In an editorial titled "Wind power needs help," the Public Opinion opined, in part:

"Last month, a group of 10 U.S. senators, led by Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts, wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urging quick renewal of the federal wind energy ...

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The National Governors Association (NGA) has sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging extension of the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC), as well as an Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for the first 3,000 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind installed in the U.S.

Said the NGA, "Governors are pursuing a wide variety of strategies to promote job creation and economic development in their states.  Continued development of renewable energy resources and manufacturing is an important component of these efforts.  Renewable energy provides Americans with high-tech manufacturing jobs, secure sources of energy, and our states with crucial economic ...

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