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Calm or Gusty?

By Children’s Home Society of Florida Foundation

The Energy Department released the “2011 Wind Technologies Market Report” this week. It noted that there was substantial growth for wind energy, but significant uncertainty about its future.

Federal Aviation Administration

In a parallel development this week, the Federal Aviation Administration issued tentative approval of Cape Wind, a planned wind farm off the shore of Cape Cod and Nantucket Island. The 130 wind turbines of Cape Wind will stand 440 feet tall. The wind farm is opposed by the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.

However, the FAA approved the wind farm and noted that the towers would be required to include appropriate lights and be painted in colors that made them more visible to aircrafts. With the FAA approval, the Cape Wind developers may now seek final financing and could receive a 25 year lease from the federal government.

2011 Growth

The energy report on wind technology showed significant growth in 2011. Approximately 6.8 GW (gigawatts) of new wind energy capacity were added in the United States.

Of all the new energy facilities created, wind represented 32% of the total in 2011. However, total wind capacity is now just 3.3% of America’s electricity demand. Cape Wind will be the first major offshore U.S. wind project.

China Rising

The world leader in wind energy is China. The U.S. is now in second place with about 20% of global wind capacity. The states with major commitments to wind energy are Texas, California, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Assessment

The major concern affecting wind energy in 2013 is the potential loss of federal and state wind tax benefits.

In addition, wind faces substantial competition from natural gas. With the development of “fracking,” natural gas production has substantially increased. With a large new supply of natural gas, there are now sufficient reserves to support the U.S. needs for 100 years. This increased supply reduces the cost of natural gas and makes it more attractive than wind energy.

Conclusion

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Filed under: Alternative Investments | Tagged: Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, Cape Wind, Children's Home Society of Florida Foundation, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Wind Energy Alternate Investments, Wind Technologies Market Report |