WIND POWER WANTS A POLITICAL PUSH

Wind energy industry looks to Copenhagen for a mandate; In an interview, Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association, says the industry needs a renewable energy mandate from the climate conference in Copenhagen and from Congress.
Mark Clayton, December 9, 2009 (Christian Science Monitor)

[Denise Bode, CEO, American Wind Energy Association AWEA):] “Last year during an almost depression we added 55 new manufacturing facilities and 35,000 new jobs in the US, which I think makes it one of the bright spots in the economy… We’re shovel ready, ready to rock and roll, and we can get to 20 percent [of US energy generation] easy, clearly by 2030…”

"Right now the industry employs more than 85,000 people with many new wind-power factories having taken over previously empty appliance, auto, and steel plants…Last year the US took over first place globally in terms of the amount of installed wind power…2008 turned out well indeed for US wind…The economic hammer really didn’t hit the wind industry until the fall – about a year ago. Wind power had its financing yanked out from under it just as the rest of the economy did."

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"Even so, many projects that already had their funding soldiered ahead, and by year’s end, a record 8,500 megawatts worth of turbines had been installed…[Projects with financing] were still in the pipeline in [the first half of] 2009…[T]he picture is less clear [now] even though there are bright spots…Growth was strong through the end of the third quarter of 2009 with 5,800 megawatts of capacity built…[but] there is just 5,000 megawatts of wind power in the near-term development pipeline compared with 8,000 megawatts last year…That slowing is hurting US wind manufacturing…

"The wind power industry got a pick-me-up this summer when stimulus funding began to hit. A measure that allowed an alternate means of financing kicked in – enabling wind-power developers to turn investment tax credits into dollars by getting direct refunds from the federal government…So far at least $1 billion in such financing has supported the industry this year…"

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"But as important is the stimulus aid was, what happens next in Copenhagen and in Congress – and how soon – is critical…[The industry wants] a strong statement or agreement coming out of both the climate summit and Capitol Hill committing the US and the rest of the world to shift away from fossil fuels and put in place clear requirements – a mandate – to build renewable energy."

[Denise Bode, CEO, American Wind Energy Association AWEA):] “Until the end of 2008, [wind power manufacturers] were making machinery as fast as they could…Now we’re still seeing significant problems in this manufacturing sector. The recovery package threw us a lifeline, but they’re still hurting… It makes a huge difference if the world as a community decides to recognize these [carbon emissions] costs … and say we’re going to do something about it collectively – and move to cleaner sources of generation… But what we really need is a strong national commitment from Congress – a [Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) that sets a percentage requirement for how much renewable energy utilities must use…”