Into the Wind - the AWEA Blog

 Wyoming is considering imposing a third type of tax on wind energy projects, and it is drawing national scrutiny, even from economists.

Last week, the Wyoming wind electricity tax was passed by the Wyoming House, and it is now being considered by the state's Senate. Though not unprecedented, the $1 per megawatt-hour tax is unusual, especially since other states are developing incentives, not disincentives, to bring in wind projects. The Wyoming move is viewed with consternation in the industry. On the one hand the state has great potential for wind development. But its policies have not been wind friendly. What's a developer to do? An economist is suggesting that the new tax – which is in addition to property taxes and sales taxes on wind starting next year -- send ...

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Last week provided two outstanding examples of what we need to build a strong green economy in America.

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, Spanish manufacturer Ingeteam announced that it will build a wind turbine generator manufacturing facility in Milwaukee, creating 270 jobs over the next five years.

And on Thursday, Feb. 18, Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa said it would bring back 79 workers laid off in November and hire an additional 50, after Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell (D) announced the award of $22.8 million in economic Recovery Act funds for three wind projects in the state.

These are manufacturing jobs--the heart and sinew of a green industrial economy that can reshape America's future and lay the foundation for long-term growth.

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Guest blog by AWEA's Carl Levesque

A recently released study finds that new renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in Utah could yield significant economic benefits for the state by 2020, including the creation of 7,000 net ongoing jobs, nearly $310 million in net annual earnings, and a $300 million net annual increase in gross domestic product by state (GDPS).

The report, “Building the Clean Energy Economy: A Study on Jobs and Economic Development of Clean Energy ...

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Are you planning to come to WINDPOWER 2010 in Dallas in May? You can register on line. Take advantage of early registration discounts until March 29. Into the wind will be there!

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DENVER - In many ways, AWEA’s siting workshop was defined by someone who was not here. Several times during the two-day meeting, speakers began their presentation with a tribute to Andy Linehan, the siting specialist with Iberdrola Renewables who died recently. (They also flashed a picture on the huge screens in the hotel ballroom.)

Rich Rayhill of Ridgeline Energy called Linehan “the Atticus Finch of the wind industry,” referring to the attorney-hero in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Linehan’s principled, straightforward approach to solving siting problems will shape how the industry deals with siting issues for years to come, Rayhill said.

Linehan’s approach was certainly evident in many of the sessions here, as speakers sketched out how the industry ...

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You've saved the date (we hope, heheh) and now it's time to get in on the action, with online registration now open for the WINDPOWER 2010 Conference & Exhibition, scheduled this year for May 23-26 in Dallas, Tex.

WINDPOWER is the world's largest conference and exhibition devoted to the business of wind energy, and well-known for its commercial value as a place to make key business connections.

Last year, WINDPOWER attracted more than 23,000 attendees from a range of companies and organizations guaranteed to warm the heart of anyone in the business--from state economic development offices seeking to lure new factories to companies up and down the supply chain.

The ...

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What are we waiting for? The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released new assessments of state wind resources, and the good news is we have more wind potential than we thought. The bad news is we are not doing everything we can to take advantage of it.

Onshore U.S. wind resources could generate nearly 37,000,000 gigawatt- hours (GWh) annually, more than nine times current total U.S. electricity consumption.

These larger estimates are due to improved wind turbine technology, as today’s taller turbines tap better winds at higher elevations (this study measured winds at 80 meters), and to more refined ...

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What do you get when you put a handful of government officials on a workshop panel? Lots of information.

At AWEA’s Project Siting Workshop held this week here in Denver, more than 350 attendees learned, for example, about the Air Force’s willingness to work with the industry to resolve conflicts over the location of wind projects near Air Force facilities. Col. Ed Chupein, who is chief of ranges and airspace for the Air Force, said the military was caught unawares when the wind energy boom began several years ago. “We weren’t ready for this gold rush.” And despite a reputation for being against all wind projects, he said, “We do say yes,” especially when given advance notice of a proposed project, and time to consider the impacts.

Speakers from the Bureau of ...

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Wyoming has great wind, vast open spaces and a healthy appetite for farm income and non-farm jobs. Sounds perfect for new wind power facilities. But while other states are devising incentives to attract wind power projects, Wyoming’s political leaders are throwing obstacles in the path of beneficial wind development in the state.

The latest example is a wind electricity “excise” tax, proposed by Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) and now being considered by the legislature. In recent committee action, the tax was reduced from a jaw-dropping $3 per megawatt-hour of wind electricity produced to $1 per megawatt-hour. (The tax does not apply to any other form of electricity generation.) Implementation of this wind electricity tax could begin as soon as next year.

Wyoming’s ...

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Ingeteam, a Spanish firm, announced it will build a wind turbine generator manufacturing facility near Milwaukee, creating 270 jobs.

The announcement came just days after reports that Energy Composites is moving forward with a turbine blade manufacturing plant in Wisconsin Rapids that would employ 600 workers.

Under Gov. Jim Doyle, Wisconsin had adopted an aggressive strategy to generate more of its electricity using wind and other renewables. At the same time, the state has been urging wind manufacturers to locate in the state.

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