The AWEA Blog: Into the Wind

Investing in America: Google buys into wind project

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 Carl Levesque, Consultant

Technology giant and business icon Google, Inc., continued its embrace of wind power with the announcement that it has invested $200 million in EDF Renewable Energy’s Spinning Spur Wind Project in Oldham County, Tex.

The 161-MW facility, located about 35 miles from Amarillo, uses 70 2.3-MW Siemens turbines.

Google seems to be embracing wind power on all fronts. The innovative company has entered power purchase agreements—that is, contracts usually entered into by utilities—directly with wind farms to power some of its energy-hungry data centers. Google also is investing in the Atlantic Wind Connection, an ambitious offshore backbone transmission project that would run north-south off the East Coast to connect offshore wind projects to be built. Finally, the ...

ERCOT sets wind generation record on Christmas Day

Posted: 14 Jan 2013 Carl Levesque, Consultant

Records keep getting shattered in the wind energy output arena, highlighting the clean, affordable energy source’s reliability and potential to power the grid all the more.

This time, the news came from the Lone Star State. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc., (ERCOT) set a wind generation record of 8,638 MW at 3:11 p.m. on Dec. 25, 2012, exceeding the previous record by 117 MW.

ERCOT is the grid operator whose territory comprises the vast majority of Texas. More than 6,600 MW of the power included wind generation from West Texas wind farms, combined with over 1,600 MW from wind farms along the Texas Coast. ERCOT recorded the previous wind output record of 8,521 MW on Nov. 10, according to a Jan. 2 news release.

The new wind energy ...

Dept. of Energy issues RFP for collegiate wind competition

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 Tom Gray, Consultant

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to participate in DOE's inaugural National Collegiate Wind Competition.

The National Collegiate Wind Competition is a forum for undergraduate college students of multiple disciplines to investigate innovative wind energy concepts; gain experience designing, building, and testing a wind turbine to perform according to a customized market data-derived business plan; and increase their knowledge of wind industry barriers. Successful teams will gain and then demonstrate knowledge of technology, finance, accounting, management, and marketing, providing lifelong technical and business skills.

The theme of the inaugural competition is to ...

Fact check: American Energy Alliance’s anti-wind cartoon caricatures facts

Posted: 10 Jan 2013 David Ward, Consultant

The American Energy Alliance, a fossil-fuel funded group, recently posted a cartoon online consisting of a series of recycled anti-wind myths (hey, at least they believe in recycling). From our perspective, their cartoon is indeed good for a chuckle, as every one of its so-called facts about wind power has previously been thoroughly rebutted. Actually:

American wind power is rapidly growing. Wind energy last year was the leading source of new electrical generation in America. Over the past five years, it has accounted for 35% of all new electrical generating capacity, more than twice as much as coal and nuclear combined.

The U.S. ...

Science proves that wind energy is safe for Wisconsin

Posted: 09 Jan 2013 John Anderson, Director of Siting Policy

When new technologies become prevalent, it is human nature to study the risks that may accompany them. We once questioned if the human body could travel at the speeds enabled by the automobile and whether microwave ovens could cause cancer. Telephones were once claimed to be harmful to people’s well-being. Then, eventually, through scientific research and studying real world scenarios, we learn the facts, and identify and separate actual risks from understandable but unfounded fears.

This is a common cycle, and it is the situation in which the wind industry currently finds itself. Wind energy enjoys considerable public support and hundreds of thousands of people around the world live near operating wind turbines without ill effects. However, wind energy also has its ...

Reaction to PTC extension generally upbeat

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 Tom Gray, Consultant

The U.S. wind energy industry and its 75,000 employees breathed a big sigh of relief last week as the federal renewable energy Production Tax Credit was extended, and the reaction of supporters and analysts in the media and elsewhere was generally favorable. Here are some highlights:

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), press release: "'The extension of the wind Production Tax Credit is excellent news for workers in Pueblo, Windsor, Brighton and across the country. Thanks to the PTC extension, I am confident the wind industry will be able to create jobs and help revitalize our American manufacturing sector,' Udall said ... Udall has been a longtime and steadfast advocate for extending the ...

Appropriately, new Vermont community project powers community event

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 Carl Levesque, Consultant

Vermont’s Georgia Mountain Community Wind project went on line recently, just in time to help power (virtually, at least) the festivities at an annual New Year’s Eve “First Night” celebration that draws people from around the region.

The 10-MW, four-turbine project will meet approximately 8 percent of Burlington Electric Department’s (BED) energy demand through a long-term, stably priced contract.

The project is owned by two local business leaders and life-long Vermonters: renewable energy manufacturer and developer David Blittersdorf and Jim Harrison and his family. Blittersdorf’s involvement with the wind industry goes back decades. He founded wind measurement company NRG Systems, now owned and led by Jan Blittersdorf Blomstrann. Currently he is ...

Congress extends wind energy tax credits for projects that start in 2013

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 Peter L. Kelley, AWEA VP-Public Affairs

'Fiscal cliff' deal preserves America’s leading source of new electric generation

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 1 – Congress has included the long-sought extension of wind energy tax credits in final passage of a bill to avert the "fiscal cliff" that now moves to President Obama for his expected signature.

America's 75,000 workers in wind energy are celebrating tonight over the continuation of policies expected to save up to 37,000 jobs and create far more over time, and to revive business at nearly 500 manufacturing facilities across the country. The extension of the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC)--and Investment Tax Credits for community and offshore projects--will allow continued growth of the energy source that installed the most ...

Fact check: FOX News article fails to put wind development in context

Posted: 02 Jan 2013 John Anderson, Director of Siting Policy

A recent article on the FOX News website painted a very one-sided picture of wind energy generation’s impact on bird populations. Quoting long-time anti-wind columnist Robert Bryce, the article recycled many inaccurate and previously refuted statements on the impact of wind power development on wildlife populations.

Also, contrary to the article’s assertions, the wind energy Production Tax Credit, extended yesterday by Congress in the “fiscal cliff” deal, has helped to power the growth of a brand new manufacturing sector in practically every state in the union. Today nearly 500 U.S. manufacturing plants located in all regions of ...

Colorado wind jobs seen hinging on PTC extension

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 Tom Gray, Consultant

Colorado's effort to build a domestic wind power industry, which has led to the creation of 5,000 jobs in the state, is threatened by the impending expiration of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC), according to the Denver Post.

The article quotes Tracee Bentley, associate director of the Colorado Energy Office: "The tax credit is critical. We have one of the most highly trained work forces in wind production, and we want to see those jobs stay in Colorado." It also notes that Vestas Wind Systems, which built four factories in Colorado, has reduced its work force, previously 1,700 employees, by nearly one-third.

Into the Wind - the AWEA Blog

Blog Archive