POLITICS CAUSES & SPOILS GE’S RECORD WIND YEAR

GE to set US record in 2012 for wind turbine installations

Richard A. Kessler, October 19, 2012 (ReCharge)

“General Electric this year will set a company record for wind capacity installations in the US, breaking its previous high of 3.99GW in 2009, the most for any turbine vendor there in a calendar year…GE also has the four next highest US wind capacity installs including 3.58GW in 2008, 2.54GW in 2010, 2.34GW in 2007 and 2GW last year…Vestas is in sixth place with 1.96GW installed in 2011.

“…GE’s own market research aligns with AWEA’s forecast that the US will add between 12GW and 13.5GW in wind capacity this year, which would easily surpass the 10GW record set in 2009. Original equipment manufacturers added 6.81GW of capacity in 2011…Developers are racing to complete wind farms and get them grid-connected to qualify for the [$22 per MWh, ten year] production tax credit (PTC) that [was instituted in 1992 and] expires on 31 December…[It is wind industry’s] main federal subsidy…”

The Choice, Part 1 This is what he said.

TheChoice, Part 2

This is what he said.

“…[GE’s leaders are] optimistic that Congress will renew the tax credit after 6 November national elections…[I]t traditionally has gained bipartisan support…[because over] 80% of US installs are in Republican districts…President Barack Obama wants to make the PTC permanent while his Republican opponent Mitt Romney is urging Congress not to renew it…Even if lawmakers extend the PTC for another year, the US market in 2013 [is expected to] be the worst for new wind capacity since 2.54GW in 2006. GE has three turbine production facilities in the US. The company won’t discuss employment or activity levels at them.

“More than 70% of wind turbine deals so far this year have been overseas. GE has tripled its share in Europe since 2010 and has scored several large sales in Brazil…[S]ales of GE’s flagship 1.6MW platform have been strong in the US and globally…The 2.75MW platform is an evolutionary development of the 2.5MW series wind turbine, GE’s largest onshore offering at the moment. The company recently announced installation of its 1,000th 2.5MW series unit in Romania…The company’s technology development arm continues to work on designing a ‘next generation’ direct-drive wind turbine of up to 15MW using superconducting magnets…[for] offshore wind.”

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