U.S. Wind Industry Installs 1400 MW of Wind Power in First Quarter 2008

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52415

With the fate of a key federal incentive in the balance, the U.S. wind energy industry continued new installations at a rapid pace in the first quarter of 2008, putting 1,400 megawatts (MW) or approximately US $3 billion worth of new generating capacity in place, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said in its quarterly market report this week.

The new wind power facilities installed this quarter span 10 states and bring total U.S. wind power capacity to over 18,000 MW. Texas added over half this new capacity and now has well over 5,000 MW installed. Over 4,000 MW of projects are now also under construction nationwide.

Additionally, AWEA reports an increase in the share of U.S.-made wind turbine components — from less than 30% to approximately 50% in three years. Prior to 2005, AWEA estimates that less than a third of components were manufactured domestically. AWEA estimates that, by the end of 2008, approximately half of turbine components for turbines installed in the U.S. will be produced domestically. In 2007 and early 2008, at least 17 manufacturing facilities have been brought online or expanded in the U.S., creating over 4,000 jobs and US $500 million in manufacturing investment.

"These new wind power plants...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," said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher.

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the Production Tax Credit for wind farms. This is too short. Lead time to get delivery of wind turbines is about a year to a year and a half. they should extend the PTC for a couple of years at least.

go to www.congress.org to easily email senators and representatives about this.

recommended.

The expected change in control of and the executive should produce a radically different structure to the energy bill next year.

proposed and already approved installations are done?

Approximately 2%.

But consider the rate of growth has been between 25-50% for nearly ten years, and that the forces propelling the construction of neww capacity are getting stronger with no expectation of weakening in the forecast.

In raw numbers wind generated around 90,000,000 MW hours in 06. Projecting a 40% rate of growth over the next 20 years, we should be generating about 75,301,000,000 MW hours from wind (that would be using current technologies). I'm betting it will be nearly matched each of these: wave/current/tidal, solar, and geothermal (using current and near term technologies.