Wind Power 43% increase in 2005 - yes, despite the rumors to the contrary [View All]

[JohnWxy]

windpower is not dead, that is, it IS practical - and growing like gang-busters.

http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=30&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=21&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=4&cHash=d0118b8972

The global wind energy sector experienced another record year in 2005. According to the figures released today by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the year saw the installation of 11,769 megawatts (MW), which represents a 43.4% increase in annual additions to the global market, up from 8,207 MW in the previous year.

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“The European market has already reached the 2010 target set by the European Commission of 40,000 MW five years ahead of time,” said Christian Kjaer, the European Wind Energy Association’s (EWEA) Policy Director. Moreover, growth is now happening in a greater number of countries, including new markets such as Portugal and France. By 2010, wind energy alone will save enough greenhouse gas emissions to meet one third of the European Union's Kyoto obligation.”

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Nearly a quarter of new capacity was installed in North America, where the total capacity increased by 37% in 2005, gaining momentum in both the US and Canada. The US wind energy industry broke earlier annual records of installed capacity with installing nearly 2,500 MW, which makes it the country with the most new wind power.

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), this is largely due to the current three year window of stability in the federal incentive for wind energy, the production tax credit (PCT). “Thanks to the Congress’s extending the wind energy production credit before it expired - for the first time in the credit’s history, the wind industry is looking forward to several recordbreaking years in a row,” said AWEA’s Executive Director Randall Swisher. Previous years had seen a constant up and down of the market, depending on whether the PTC had been renewed in time to create investor confidence.

The Canadian wind capacity increased by a staggering 53%. “Canada’s wind energy industry is growing by leaps and bounds – and that’s great news for Canadians who research shows are strongly in favour of wind energy,” said Robert Hornung, President of the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA). “2005 will be remembered as the year Canada first started to seriously exploit its massive wind energy potential.”

Asia has also experienced strong growth of over 49% of installed capacity, bringing the continent up to a total of over 7,135 MW. In 2005, the continent accounted for 20% of new installations. The strongest market here remains India with over 1,430 MW of new installed capacity, which takes its total figure up to 4,430 MW.

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Wind energy offers more that just power: it has the potential to support economic development, improve the security of energy supply, mitigate hydrocarbon price volatility, create jobs and contribute to substantial CO2 reductions. Without political support, however, wind energy remains at a competitive disadvantage due to distortions in the world’s electricity markets created by decades of massive financial, political and structural support to conventional technologies,” said Arthouros Zervos.

NOw if legislator's were contacted to take action to allow wind farms to be financed the same as utilities finance coal and gas fired plants - THE COST OF WIND POWER WOULD COME DOWN 40%!

The Government has estimated that wind power could meet 1.5 times the Total Electricity demand of the U.S. (20% of the demand could be met without using pumped storage which enables constant flow of power using pumped hydro-power facilities).