Congress ended a year of wind industry angst this week by renewing for another year the production tax credit program that has helped sustain the growth of wind energy in the U.S..
Tags: · AWEA, Congress, PTC, U.S., Wind energy, Wind Farms, wind manufacturing
A bipartisan coalition of governors has written to Congress to plead for the extension of the Production Tax Credit that has helped fuel the development of wind energy in the U.S..
The PTC, set to expire at the end of December, provides wind developers with a tax break that makes the business more profitable. Proponents say it’s needed to level the playing field for new energy, which must compete against subsidized fossil fuel industries like coal and natural gas.
Tags: · AWEA, clean energy, Congress, Governors, jobs, manufacturing, Renewable Energy, Wind energy, wind layoffs
U.S. wind energy workers are losing their jobs as factories pare back in apparent response to the potential loss of a tax credit that has bolstered wind development.
Losses include layoffs and planned layoffs at wind manufacturing facilities in Tulsa, Okla., West Fargo, N.D., and in Little Rock, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reports.
Tags: · AWEA, clean energy, PTC, renewables, tax subsidies, U.S. wind, Wind energy
Gamesa, a major producer of wind farms globally, has shelved its plan for an offshore wind farm in Virginia because a difficult financing climate and weaker “regulatory” support in the US.
The company will instead focus on building an offshore prototype off the coast of Spain.
Gamesa had built an offshore turbine at a Research and Development Center in Cape Charles, Virginia, but reported that “prospects for the U.S. offshore market and its regulatory conditions in this segment so far do not justify the next step, the installation of a prototype in
Tags: · American Wind Energy Association, AWEA, Gamesa, Newport News Shipbuilding, offshore wind, Spain, US wind energy, wind turbine in Virginia
The wind is whipping down the plains, challenging the view that renewable energy can play only a small role on the electricity grid, according to figures released today by the American Wind Energy Association.
AWEA’s annual report shows that five states received more than 10 percent of their electricity from wind in 2011:
Tags: · 2012 prospects, annual report for 2011, AWEA, Green Energy, production tax credit, Renewable Energy, Wind energy
In recent days, both the wind power and solar power advocates have been protesting the potential expiration of three key tax incentives that have helped drive the expansion of renewable energy in the US, even amid the economic stall out. With Congress and President Obama both seeking ways to trim the federal budget deficit, and the tug of oil and coal money ever-present on Capital Hill, these incentives for clean energy are being considered for the axe.
Tags: · AWEA, BarbaraKesslerBlog, clean energy, clean energy jobs, clean energy security, Earl Blumenauer, green energy jobs, renewable power, SEIA, Solar Power, wind manufacturing, Wind Power
Wind energy leaders are warning Washington that thousands of U.S. jobs in the sector would be lost if Congress fails to renew a key tax credit tied to wind production.
The Production Tax Credit (PTC) also supports solar power and other renewable energy projects by providing tax breaks to the qualifying businesses that build wind farms (and solar and geothermal facilities).
Tags: · AWEA, production tax credit, wind in US, wind jobs, wind manufacturers, Wind Power
What a difference a year makes. Just last March, the Obama Administration was gearing up to reopen offshore oil drilling on the Eastern Seaboard. No doubt this seemed like a good plan to access more domestic oil and answer critics clamoring for more drilling.
Never mind that the U.S., on and offshore, can produce only a small fraction of the oil it consumes.
Then came that BP oil disaster thingy. A blob of black doom darkened the waters and economic prospects throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
Tags: · AWEA, BarbaraKesslerBlog, Eastern Seaboard, greenrightnow.com, Gulf of Mexico, high-speed rail, Obama Administsration, offshore oil, offshore wind power, Wind Power
As Congress and the White House negotiate the details of the tax breaks for the middle class, and the tax breaks for the wealthy, and the payroll tax break, the clean energy lobby appears caught at the door of the party.
Industry leaders are sending up flares to constituents and the media, warning that pulling the plug on clean energy incentives would hurt job growth and the nation’s ability to compete globally in the fast-growing clean energy sector.
Several tax incentives that the wind and solar industries depend upon to spur investment are set to expire, as well as certain rebates for home energy efficiency improvements.
Tags: · 1603 tax credit, Alliance to Save Energy, American Wind Power Association, AWEA, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, clean energy, energy efficiency, greenrightnow.com, production tax credit, Renewable Energy, SEIA, Solar Power, Wind Power
Now that the political winds have shifted, the American Wind Energy Association has taken a new snapshot of the horizon.
What do they see? Bipartisan support.
Really. They say they do. Those words came up often at an AWEA web conference on Friday to discuss the future of wind under the new split Congress. It became such a mantra — you could almost hear the turbines at Texas’ Horse Hollow wind farm whirring out the words bi-paaar-ti-saaaan sup-poooorrrrt, as AWEA CEO Denise Bode and others counted the ways they hope that “bipartisan support” will work to keep government wind supports alive in this witheringly tough economy.
Now before we dismiss this as naive thinking, we should remember that wind power actually does have serious bipartisan roots. Elected officials in 29 states have put targets for clean energy into place, pushing utilities to make room for wind- and solar-generated electricity that doesn’t pollute like the fossil fuels (mainly coal) they have relied upon. These initiatives, called Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS’s) were put into place mostly over the last decade and have been endorsed by legislators and governors of red and blue stripes (those a few more wear blue).
Tags: · AWEA, BarbaraKesslerBlog, clean energy economy, Green jobs, greenrightnow.com, offshore wind, Wind energy, Wind industry, wind manufacturing, Wind Power
It’s clear that America wants wind power. At the WINDPOWER 2010 conference in Dallas this week, industry advocates, governors from three states, energy company executives and even a former president all said it: Bring it on.
Tags: · American Wind Energy Association, AWEA, Gabriel Alonso, General Electric, Horizon Wind Energy, Jens-Peter Saul, Martha Wyrsche, Michael Sullivan, Ned Hall, NextEra Wind Energy, Siemens, Suzlon, Vestas, Vestas Americas, Wind energy, WINDPOWER 2010
A poll comissioned by the American Wind Energy Association shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans, 89 percent, support the development of more wind power.
A majority of U.S. citizens also want a strong Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) that would set targets and deadlines for getting more of our energy from renewable sources like wind, solar and geothermal power production.
The poll querying 600 likely voters was conducted in late March by two firms, Bennet, Petts & Normington and Public Opinion Strategies.
Tags: · Americans support wind power, AWEA, Renewable Electricity Standard, wind energy development, Wind Power
The village of Stella, Missouri, has constructed a veterans’ memorial of attractive design in the center of the village. Read more
Barbara Kessler
Andrew Winston
Danielle Nierenberg
Anthony Swift