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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Wind Power Blows Along at "Breakneck Pace"
2008-05-16
The U.S. wind energy industry continued new installations at a breakneck pace in the first quarter of 2008, even as the fate of a key federal incentive hangs in the balance, according to a new report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

The wind industry put 1,400 megawatts (MW) — approximately $3 billion worth of new generating capacity — in place, AWEA) said in its recent quarterly market report.

“These new wind power plants—enough to serve the equivalent of 400,000 homes--coupled with investment in 17 new manufacturing facilities over the past year and a quarter show that – with consistent policy support – America’s wind industry can deliver the goods in terms of clean energy and new clean technology jobs,” says AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher.

But if Congress does not act quickly, momentum could be derailed, says Swisher, who says that 76,000 jobs and more than $11.5 billion in investment could be put at risk.

“While 2008 is shaping up to be another great year, we could see a very different story in 2009 as uncertainty looms over investment in wind power projects and manufacturing due to continuing delay in extending the production tax credit (PTC),” Swisher says.

But not off Cape Cod, heh heh heh ...


That's Teddy on the left, and Mr. Windsurfer on the right
Posted by:Bobby

#11  ION TELEGRAPH.uk > PRINCE CHARLES: WE HAVE EIGHTEEN MONTHS [EOY 2009 = Jan 2010?] TO AVOID/STOP [harmful-catastrophic] CLIMATE CHANGE DISASTER [multiple]???
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2008-05-16 23:22  

#10  Ocean power, maybe. Wind power is too variable, does not scale all that well, and needs storage facilities to do not exist in most cases. Wave/tidal power generation is more predictable and is more amendable to control, in the case of needing to throttle back.
Posted by: Shieldwolf   2008-05-16 22:37  

#9  TOPIX/REDDIT SCIENCE > WIND, OCEAN POWER NEW TECHNOLOGY CAN SUPPLY 40% OF AMERICA'S ENERGY BY 2050.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2008-05-16 22:15  

#8  Phil

I agree with your number, but given that, at current growth rate, it will a decade until we get to 5%. don't you think we will have far better energy storage devices by the time we get anywhere near the 20% figure.

On thorium reactors, there are two basic templates. One uses Uranium and/or Plutonium to provide neutrons to the thorium pile (which, in effect, 'burns' the U/Pu). The other uses a particle beam or other external source to provide neutrons. One or the other is necessary because Thorium doesn't go critical by itself.
Posted by: mhw   2008-05-16 13:16  

#7  Sounds like the rush is an effort to grab the subsidies before they go away. It's a tax game, not an energy play.
Posted by: Iblis   2008-05-16 12:18  

#6  There is a limit to how much wind power you can have before you risk the grid becoming unstable and crashing. The number is less than 20%.
Posted by: phil_b   2008-05-16 11:55  

#5  Much higher than nuclear power. BTW, using thorium instead of uranium does not produce plutonium ie no nukes.
Posted by: JFM   2008-05-16 10:51  

#4  What's the real cost, after paying for the war on jihadi terror, per unit of energy of Muslim petroleum?
Posted by: trailing wife    2008-05-16 10:36  

#3  Nothing does.
Posted by: Pappy   2008-05-16 09:43  

#2  'Incentive' = tax credit or tax abatement.

Not mentioned in the article is that wind power needs to be subsidized by 19% to make it profitable.

This doesn't come for free, folks!
Posted by: Butch Whineng4416   2008-05-16 08:58  

#1  and over 70% of all installed US wind energy was installed during Bush's administration.

one additional nice thing is that as the designs and components have improved, the average output has increased from about 28% of capacity for elements added in the 90s to about 36% of capacity for elements added in 2007 (per the industry website).
Posted by: mhw   2008-05-16 08:33  

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