Into the Wind - the AWEA Blog

Wind energy provides lower-cost electricity that helps keep consumers’ rates low.

That helps explain criticism from competitors, who may have sunk costs into higher-priced sources of power. However, their claims that the wind energy production tax credit (PTC) is causing so-called “negative” prices are misguided, as this extremely rare phenomenon occurs in only 1 in 4,500 hours, would occur anyway even if there was no PTC, and actually shows the electricity market is working.

Wind energy is always going to enter the real-time electricity market as one of the lowest-cost sources of electricity.

Because wind energy has no fuel cost and ...

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In a letter that appeared in yesterday's edition of the Delaware County (Pa.) Daily Times, State Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Haverford) urges Congress to extend the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC), saying that doing so will "create jobs, support local communities, protect the environment and improve energy price stability."

Adds Vitali, "Wind farms help local economies by making lease payments to local property owners and paying property taxes to school districts and municipalities.  Wind turbines operate pollution free, do not add to climate change and use very little water. Wind power increases energy price stability. Because wind generated energy has no ...

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"As a mother of two young children with one on the way, this is not a political issue. This is about jobs in my hometown, moving our country toward energy independence and providing the cleanest, healthiest air possible for our children."

Those are the words of Christina Sanchez Werner in a recent letter to the Pueblo (Colo.) Chieftain newspaper concerning an extension of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC).  Ms. Werner praised U.S. Sen. Mark Udall (R-Colo.) for his support for the PTC, saying, "Contrary to the opinions of other letter writers, wind energy has been extremely successful ... Like investing in our ...

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The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday became the most recent major newspaper to endorse an extension of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC), calling the revival of the shuttered U.S. Steel plant in Bucks County the "best case" for renewing the vital incentive.

Added the editorial, "It's at the old Fairless Works that the Spanish turbine manufacturer Gamesa has employed hundreds of people, and where predicted layoffs affecting 20 percent of the firm's Pennsylvania workforce would hit hard.

"Gamesa has grown by leaps, building wind-power equipment and wind farms that generate 40 percent of the state's wind power--all while relying on domestic ...

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The Red Wing (Minn.) Republican-Eagle Wednesday joined the ranks of newspapers across the country supporting an extension of the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC).

In its editorial, the Republican-Eagle noted that low natural gas prices and soft electricity demand due to the ongoing sluggishness of the economy are hampering wind power, adding, "But the delay in extending the production tax credit is a major contributor to a condition industries and investors hate: uncertainty."

That uncertainty, it said, played a role in the decision of Otter Tail Power Co. to sell its subsidiary DMI, which manufactures wind turbine towers.  And the economic harm if the PTC is not renewed soon, ...

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The following op-ed originally appeared in the Lincoln (Nebr.) Journal-Star and is reprinted here with permission of the author, Gary Aksamit.

Local View: Can wind save our water?

A recent Lincoln Journal Star editorial “Plan for next drought” (LJS, Aug. 21) appropriately stated that Nebraska “should spur adoption of better water conservation practices in the public and private spheres.” Nebraska public power entities are reviewing their electricity generation portfolios and determining what role -- if any -- wind and other renewable energy will play. As Nebraska’s ...

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The following article by AWEA CEO Denise Bode appeared yesterday on the Huffington Post website.

As the prospect of Congress extending wind energy's primary incentive, the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC), has grown in recent weeks, so have both support and criticism.

On the positive side, the Des Moines Register, Denver Post, and

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In an editorial posted yesterday, the Bloomberg news service endorsed extending the federal wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) beyond its currently scheduled expiration date of Dec. 31.

Excerpts from the editorial:

"Onshore wind power has improved to the point where it is now the most competitive of all renewable energy sources except hydropower. According to recent estimates from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, it is on a path to reach 'grid parity'--the point where its cost is equal to the baseline price of power on the grid--starting in 2016. In the long run, in other words, wind can be expected to thrive without the tax credit ...

...

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The Messenger News, a newspaper based in Fort Dodge, Iowa, has become the latest of several papers in the Hawkeye State to endorse an extension of the federal wind energy production tax credit (PTC).

In its editorial, the Messenger News notes Iowa's national leadership in wind power--the state ranks second only to Texas in installed wind generating capacity--and adds, "Making use of wind to generate electricity has enormous implications for the United States."

With respect to the PTC, the newspaper aligns itself with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who authored the legislation that originally created the PTC and who has argued that it should not be ...

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The following letter to the editor by Carol E. Murphy appeared in Sunday's edition of the Buffalo News and is reprinted here with permission of the author. Ms. Murphy is executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York.

Mary Kay Barton's commentary of Aug. 14 ("Big subsidies for wind projects are 'FIT' for retirement") overlooks a number of important facts.

First, all energy sources have been subsidized over time, and wind is no exception. The question then becomes: Is the incentive that wind has been receiving excessive compared with other sources? The answer is no. A recent study from consulting firm ...

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