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newsroom
WIND BIG PART OF SOLUTION TO GLOBAL WARMING: Beyond Ability to Cut Emissions, Wind Energy Industry Has High Wind power can provide a large, rapid, and cost-effective part of the solution to global warming, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said today. The Washington, D.C.-based trade group cited supportive statements from environmental groups and scientists in calling for a national effort to accelerate wind power development. Following recent news that 2006 was the hottest year in the U.S. since regular temperature records began in 1895 and that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing that the polar bear be considered for listing as a threatened species, national attention is focusing intently on solutions to global warming. The National Audubon Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, and other national environmental groups have identified global warming as one of the leading threats to wildlife and wildlife habitat, and are warning that action must be taken rapidly, on a big scale. “Global warming creates a sense of urgency beyond anything we have seen before," said National Audubon Society President John Flicker. "Increasing temperatures caused in part by our excessive use of fossil fuels are affecting habitat and food sources for birds, and may provide the ultimate blow to many species that are already under stress. I want to make sure Audubon is doing everything we can to promote both conservation and properly sited wind energy." Flicker wrote a column in the November-December 2006 issue of the Society’s magazine stating that Audubon "strongly supports wind power as a clean alternative energy source" and pointing to the threat global warming poses to birds and other wildlife. “Increasing our use of wind power is crucial to fighting global warming emissions,” said Ashok Gupta, Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Air and Energy program. “And thanks to technological breakthroughs, it's a cost competitive, pollution-free alternative to new coal or gas fired power plants. The U.S. should take advantage of all of our inexhaustible sources of renewable energy, like wind and solar, as much as possible.” Princeton University researchers Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow argued in a widely reported 2004 study that we already possess the scientific, technical, and industrial know-how to solve the carbon and climate problem for the next half-century. No single technology is the silver bullet, but Pacala and Socolow identified seven 1 billion-ton-per-year reduction "wedges" that can together successfully reduce carbon emissions to a “flat level” or downward. Wind is one of these key “wedge” technologies. AWEA argues that wind is also one of the most cost-effective as it needs no fuel and is already a “zero-emissions” technology, as well as one with the lightest impact on wildlife of any energy source. “The U.S. wind energy industry is proud to set high environmental stewardship standards for the energy sector as a whole, starting with zero emissions,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “The industry also welcomes the opportunity to set high standards for scrutiny of the impact on wildlife of all energy sources.” As part of its commitment to environmental stewardship, the industry’s activities include: - Continued partnership in the Bats & Wind Energy Cooperative (BWEC) to research and develop solutions to reduce bat collisions with wind turbines. BWEC brings together the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Bat Conservation International and AWEA in a joint project to conduct critical research. Current efforts are attempting to understand which sites may be riskier for bats, and also develop possible deterrent technologies to warn bats away from wind turbine blades; - Continued partnership in the Grassland/Shrub-Steppe Species Collaborative, a public/private research initiative on prairie chickens and other grassland avian species. This research will study the behavior of grassland birds like the prairie chicken, which tend to shy away from many human structures; - Participation in the National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC), a group that brings together government agencies, environmental groups, and other stakeholder groups to discuss a range of topics, including some related to siting and wildlife; AWEA is a long-standing member of the NWCC; - Holding a continuing series of siting workshops (in Washington DC in February 2006, and in Milwaukee in March 2007) to provide wind energy industry members with the latest information about best practices and siting and wildlife concerns. “Wind energy is one of the most cost-effective and environmentally benign technologies that we can deploy today to roll back global warming and power the 21 st century,” said Swisher. “The U.S. has the opportunity today to drive this powerful silver wedge into its energy portfolio with the hammer of good energy policy, and rapidly reap the results: a healthier environment, good jobs, stable electricity prices, and increased energy security.” AWEA, formed in 1974, is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. The association’s membership includes turbine manufacturers, wind project developers, utilities, academicians, and interested individuals. More information on wind energy is available at the AWEA web site at www.awea.org. # # #
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