Category: News

Wind power is becoming the main renewable energy source in Latin America. It is expected to attain a capacity of 10, 000 MW in the next eight years.

Many wind projects are currently underway not only in Brazil and Mexico but also in other countries like Argentina, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Chile. At present, the wind power sector produces power to the tune of 3,5000 to 4,000 MW in the region, and industry observers believe that this will go up to 10,000 by end of the decade.

The governments are taking measures to encourage wind companies to take up initiatives in developing and setting up wind turbines. This has greatly improved the power situation.

The surge in the wind power sector could also be due to the insistence of the authorities to adopt more environmental-friendly measures while harnessing energy resources like coal and hydro-electricity. The new biofuel and solar technologies are yet to be adopted on a large scale in the region. Photovoltaic technologies are still too costly.

There are many challenges for the growth of wind market in the region. In Chile, financial institutions are not yet ready to take up the much-needed risks due to the absence of adequate support system and pricing. Lack of infrastructure in the region for the transport of equipment is also one of them.

Brazil by far is the leader in the region as far as wind power is concerned and is expected to constitute as much as 70 percent of the total installed wind projects in Latin America by 2025.

The Wind Energy Association Latin America, LAWEA formed to promote the use of wind energy as a form of clean energy in the region, believes that in the present wind power scenario will usher in an improvement in the quality of life in Latin America in the coming years.

With the expiry of the tax credit coming to a closer, companies are gearing up to install the wind turbines in the U.S. As a result, the installation of wind turbines may be more than that of power plants that run on fuel.

As per the Ventyx Inc., a subsidiary of Swiss Power transmission equipment maker ABB Ltd. (ABBN), the power capacity through harnessing wind energy was 6,519 MW by the end of November. This is more than that produced through gas and twice that of coal.

Industry experts believe that the wind power generation will cross 8 gigawatts for the year of 2012, which would definitely be more than gas and coal.

The reports of New Energy Finance echoes the same view and points that the setting up of number of wind firms in the last couple of months in 2012 would make wind a more dominant player in the power sector.

This surge in production is due to the fact that companies are in a hurry to take advantage of the production tax credit that is in vogue till December 31^st.

Wind energy undoubtedly is treated as a valuable source of energy. This is something that was not the case five years ago.

The tax credit provides the wind companies with 2.2 cents for the production of each kilowatt-hour of power over a period of ten years. If congress does not extend the incentive, the installation of wind turbines will drastically fall down.

The Senate Finance Committee approved a bill to extend the wind production tax credit which was first initiated in 1992.

There is a proposal to phase out the credit over a period of six years by the Atomic Wind Energy Commission instead of stopping it abruptly. Apart from denting the wind energy sector gravely, the stoppage of tax credit will also lead to huge loss of jobs.

The Department of Energy has announced that it would award seven wind projects in a bid to help the wind industry on the design and development technology of off-shore power generation. The total award is to the tune of $28 million and the companies will receive their shares of $4 million each. The amount is to be spent on completing the work they have undertaken in six states after which three of them will receive $47 million over a period of four years in order to construct and install the machineries to start commercial production by 2017.

The projects will be taken up at New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, Oregon, Ohio, New Jersey and Maine after their approval by the Congress. The New Jersey project constitutes the installation of six turbines three miles off the Atlantic City in state waters. Similarly, four 3 megawatt turbines are proposed to be built in the Gulf of Maine.

The progress of the installation of wind farms in the U.S. is slow compared to that in Europe.

The companies welcomed the announcement of awards by the Energy Department and said that it would provide them the much needed boost. The sources in the Fisherman’s Energy Company revealed that the wind project to be built in New Jersey by 2014 would be its first off-shore wind project. It is believed that the successful completion of this project will open up doors for other manufacturers to take up off-shore wind projects.

The initiative to provide fillip to the off-shore wind projects was started in October when the Department of Interior awarded the lease to NRG Bluewater Wind under its ‘Smart From the Start’ program. The company gets the exclusive rights to explore and prospect the development of wind project in the 96,000 acres of ocean off Delaware.

Nowadays, more and more countries are going to use wind power due to its potential to offer clear energy on a continuous basis. It is estimated that in the US, it would account for one-fifth of the country’s electricity demand by 2030. Advancement in technical know-how, along with the subsidies offered by the government, this power sector has gone through tremendous growth in recent years. There has also been a sharp decline in the cost of production of electricity from wind energy.

But American companies will also face stiff competition in future, especially from Chinese manufacturers. The Chinese companies are able to market their products at a much cheaper price, which, of course, has been a bone of contention between China and the US. The steel turbines manufactured by Chinese companies were slapped with tariffs by the United States Commerce Department after it was revealed that they were being sold below their actual cost of production.

China has established its dominance in the wind power sector and manufacturing companies worldwide are finding it difficult to compete with Chinese manufacturers of wind turbines. At present, the situation has come to a pass, where the country’s manufacturing capacity has outgrown its own demand.

The American turbine manufacturers are also concerned about the waning of the demand of electricity at home. And the expiration of the tax credit on 31^st December, 2012 will make the American Wind companies wary of making further investment for the production of wind power. The tax credit that puts a burden of about one billion dollars on the exchequer every year is ratified by the Congress from time to time. But the announcement of its stoppage has brought apprehension that it would badly affect the growth of the wind power sector and the

Tax Credit Affects on the Wind Power Sector

Nowadays, more and more countries are going to use wind power due to its potential to offer clear energy on a continuous basis. It is estimated that in the US, it would account for one-fifth of the country’s electricity demand by 2030. Advancement in technical know-how, along with the subsidies offered by the government, this power sector has gone through tremendous growth in recent years. There has also been a sharp decline in the cost of production of electricity from wind energy… Read more

Seven Wind Projects to Benefit from Energy Department

The Department of Energy has announced that it would award seven wind projects in a bid to help the wind industry on the design and development technology of off-shore power generation. The total award is to the tune of $28 million and the companies will receive their shares of $4 million each. The amount is to be spent on completing the work they have undertaken in six states after which three of them will receive $47 million over a period of four years in order to construct and install the machineries to start commercial production by 2017… Read more

Wind Power Generation Can Overtake that from Natural Gas in 2012

With the expiry of the tax credit coming to a closer, companies are gearing up to install the wind turbines in the U.S. As a result, the installation of wind turbines may be more than that of power plants that run on fuel. As per the Ventyx Inc., a subsidiary of Swiss Power transmission equipment maker ABB Ltd. (ABBN), the power capacity through harnessing wind energy was 6,519 MW by the end of November. This is more than that produced through gas and twice that of coal. Industry experts believe that the wind power generation will cross 8 gigawatts for the year of 2012, which would definitely be more than gas and coal… Read more

Growth of Wind Power in Latin America

Wind power is becoming the main renewable energy source in Latin America. It is expected to attain a capacity of 10, 000 MW in the next eight years. Many wind projects are currently underway not only in Brazil and Mexico but also in other countries like Argentina, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Chile. At present, the wind power sector produces power to the tune of 3,5000 to 4,000 MW in the region, and industry observers believe that this will go up to 10,000 by end of the decade. The governments are taking measures to encourage wind companies to take up initiatives in developing and setting up wind turbines. This has greatly improved the power situation… Read more

New Forecasting Machine to Boost Wind Power Sector

Professor Coimbra and Jan P. Kleissl have come up with a weather forecasting machine that they claim it is more effective than the ones that are commonly being used now. Power grid experts believe that the accurate forecast of the machine would encourage companies to use the wind power more judiciously. It could also be instrumental in greatly saving the cost of energy. The machine takes photographs of five square miles of the sky every half a minute and can forecast about the weather conditions for the next three to twenty minutes… Read more

San Francisco Plan Promotes Urban Wind Power

SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) unveiled plans yesterday for installing turbines on rooftops around the city, with a goal of commercializing small-scale wind power and bringing down the cost of renewable electricity. Read this news in New York Times 9/30/2009.

Press Release 9/29/09 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Mayor Newsom today announced recommendations from San Francisco’s Urban Wind Power Task Force, charged with finding ways to encourage the expansion of local wind power generation in San Francisco. The Task Force’s 29 recommendations include working at the state-level to exempt small wind turbines from property tax increases, installing more City-owned small wind demonstration sites, and exploring offering permitting cost refunds.

Wind Power in Palo Alto?: Medical Foundation Buys Turbine From Local Startup

While businesses throughout the Bay Area are busy installing solar panels, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation is looking to tap an energy source more commonly associated with rural areas: wind power. Read more on iStockAnalyst.com – May 21, 2009.

Windation eyes commercial buildings for enclosed turbines

Rooftop units generate power with winds starting at 7 miles per hour—opening up a potential market in 70 percent of the U.S. Read more on CleanTech.com.

Urban wind power inspired by ancient Persia

New wind-power machine has been inspired by a centuries-old idea: Persian “wind catchers.”  Windation Energy Systems, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based start-up, has developed a wind appliance that looks more or less like the modern heating and cooling equipment you see on flat corporate building rooftops. Read more on CNET.com.