U.S. Wind Energy Industry Breaks All Records
27 Jan 2010
by: American Wind Energy Association
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. wind industry
broke all previous records by installing nearly 10,000 megawatts (MW)
of new generating capacity in 2009 (enough to serve over 2.4 million
homes), but still lags in manufacturing, the American Wind Energy
Association (AWEA) said today in its Q4 report.
These new projects place wind power neck and neck with natural gas ¹
as the leading source of new electricity generation for the country.
Together, the two sources account for about 80% of the new capacity
added in the country last year.
“The U.S. wind energy industry shattered all
installation records in 2009, chalking up the Recovery Act as a
historic success in creating jobs, avoiding carbon, and protecting
consumers,” said AWEA CEO Denise Bode. “But U.S. wind turbine
manufacturing – the canary in the mine -- is down compared to last
year’s levels, and needs long-term policy certainty and market pull in
order to grow. We need to set hard targets, in the form of a national
Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), in order to provide the necessary
stability for manufacturers to expand their U.S. operations and to
seize the historic opportunity we have today to build up a thriving
renewable energy industry.”
Early
last year, before the Recovery Act (ARRA), the industry anticipated
that in 2009 wind power development might drop by as much as 50% from
2008 levels, with equivalent job losses. The clear commitment by the
President to create clean energy jobs and the swift implementation of
ARRA incentives by the Administration in mid-summer reversed the
situation. Recovery Act incentives spurred the growth of construction,
operations and maintenance, and management jobs, helping the industry
to save and create jobs in those sectors and shine as a bright spot in
the economy.
Read the rest of the article...
back to news »
Previous Article
|
Next Article