WIND BOUNCES BACK

Wind rebounds in 2Q, but continued growth depends on consistent tax policy;
Iowa hits 20 percent wind power
August 4, 2011 (American Wind Energy Association)

"U.S. wind energy continued to rebound in the second quarter, with 2,151 megawatts (MW) of electrical generating capacity installed in the first half of 2011 versus 1,250 MW during the same time in 2010, up 72 percent.

"However, analysts at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) cautioned that without stable policy such as an extension of the Production Tax Credit, set to expire in 2012, the industry's recovery will stall…[L]ayoffs and even bankruptcies in American manufacturing plants and the supply chain…will only worsen if Congress…[allows the Production Tax Credit] to expire…"

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"The fast-growing wind sector averaged 3.2 percent of the nation's electricity over the strong wind months between January and April 2011…For now, wind energy remains ahead of schedule to generate 20 percent of America's electricity by 2030…7,354 MW of new capacity was under construction by July 1, more than at any time since the third quarter of 2008…[and] the comparative stability in U.S. tax policy has helped to steadily increase the level of content that's made in America…from 25 percent just a few years ago to… 60 percent domestic content according to a July 2011 DOE report…

"The U.S. industry during the second quarter installed 1,033 megawatts (MW) of electrical generating capacity versus 709 MW during the same period last year, up 46 percent…California installed the most...Over 2,500 MW of new construction were started during the second quarter, almost three times more new construction than began during the first quarter…Iowa wind has reached the milestone of generating 20 percent of the state's electricity from January to April 2011…The U.S. wind industry now totals 42,432 MW of cumulative wind capacity…"