|
|
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Page 2 >> Editor's note: This article was originally posted on AOL Energy.
By Shifra Mincer
Associate Editor, AOL Energy
"The wind industry is a tremendous American success story," said Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association on the release of recent industry statistics. Although some projects continue to face regulatory uncertainty, like the Cape Wind offshore farm, because of complaints concerning noise and visual pollution, developers have been working hard to allay consumer concerns. An Australian company, Renewable Energy Solutions Australia, even designed an alternative wind-turbine with 30 blades instead of the traditional three that promises to be quieter and more efficient. But even as it revs up, the industry is bracing for the potential of an equally abrupt slowdown at the end of 2012 when the Production Tax Credit (PTC) is due to expire.
The world's largest wind turbine manufacturer Vestas abandoned its forecast of €15 billion in revenues in 2015 and said that job losses and restructuring will follow instead. Vestas cited "expected weak economic growth in the OECD area" and the potential expiry of the US Production Tax Credit (PTC) in 2013 which "could prove a very challenging year." Like other renewables, wind power has been extremely successful with the help of government support like the PTC. According to the American Wind Energy Association, the PTC has driven down the costs of wind energy to near grid-parity, to the point where it can compete with coal or gas-fired power plants. Wind turbines can generate electricity for less than 5 cents/kWh in many parts of the US, AWEA says. Next page: Wind at an interesting inflection point >>
Got something to say about this article? Be the first to leave a comment!
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
Talk Back
