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http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/homel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The resounding message this week at the annual wind power show in Pittsburgh is the U.S. wind power industry is no longer a boutique industry, it has graduated to the next level. This year is expected to be a record year for installed projects, and prospects for next year are projected even stronger, say industry representatives. But it's not all smooth sailing -- a number of concerns, both old and new, pose real challenges to wind power meeting its full potential in the U.S.
Chief among these is that despite wind power's increasing success, prices for wind turbines have been rising, not falling for the past two years, a situation fueled in part by high energy and commodity prices such as steel and copper. These increasing prices are also due to a perceived turbine shortage in the industry, partly the result of inconsistent national policy support in the U.S. and also because the turbines that are available are often destined for European markets where stronger incentives drive greater demand. It's a seller's market that involves many variables, has no easy answer, and may get worse before it gets better.
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"Recent action by some U.S. government agencies to effectively halt development of many pending wind energy facilities could lead to a de facto moratorium on the development of wind power in the U.S.," said a statement from the industry's major representatives, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
This stems from The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, signed into law January 6, 2006 (PL 109-163), which contained a last-minute amendment inserted by Senator John Warner (R-VA) requiring the Department of Defense to study and report on the effects of wind projects on military readiness.
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