What’s Up with Wind Power: The Good and Not-So-Good

- The Department of Energy (DOE) just released the first “Annual Report on US Wind Power Installation, Cost, and Performance Trends: 2006”.

- Wind power currently accounts for only 1% of all electricity produced in the US.
- The DOE predicts an increase in wind power generated electricity to reach 7% by 2022. If this goal is to be reached, 36,000 wind turbines will need to be built.

- The top 10 states according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) producing the most kilowatt hours of electricity are:
1. Texas
2. California
3. Iowa
4. Minnesota
5. Washington
6. Oklahoma
7. New Mexico
8. Oregon
9. New York
10. Kansas

- The EPA estimates that a 25-MW wind facility could cover up to 1,500 acres, equal to 60 acres per megawatt.

- 1 MW of power produced by a wind turbine would produce enough electricity for approximately 175 to 300 homes annually (depending on the source of the information). As of March 2007, our national wind energy capacity is 11,699 MW. In comparison, the average size of one US power plant is 213 MW.

- According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, if all US electric power plants were operating at full capacity in 1990, they would have produced 690,000 MW of electricity.

- According to the American Wind Energy Association, 1,700 MW of wind generated power will displace 3 million tons of CO2 emissions each year.

See the Source:
Annual Report on US Wind Power Installation, Cost, and Performance Trends: 2006
A Problem With Wind Power
Wind Energy Projects

environment
energy

Blowin’ In the Wind

General Electric Wind has purchased 276 MW wind turbines from EDF Energies Nouvelles. Due to the recent renewal of the production tax credit in effect until the end of 2008, a demand has been created for turbines in order to continue U.S. expansion into this market.

“The availability of turbines is of major importance for wind power operators to expand in the United States. Extension of the renewable energy production tax credit until the end of 2008 will not fail to stimulate the wind power market and demand for turbines. We are pleased to have a long-established collaboration with GE Wind. Signing this new contract forms part of our ambitious expansion plan in the fast-growing US market,” says David Corchia, Chief Executive Officer of EDF Energies Nouvelles.

About EDF Energies Nouvelles
Founded in 1990, EDF Energies Nouvelles is a world-class player in the green electricity generation market, with gross installed capacity of 1,037 MW worldwide at 31 December 2006, plus 615 MW in gross capacity under construction. With a presence in 9 European countries and in the United States, EDF Energies Nouvelles operates in four renewable energy segments: wind, hydro, biomass and solar.

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EDF Energies Nouvelles

Green Mountain Power Generating Sources Among Lowest in Emissions

COLCHESTER, Vt.-- Green Mountain Power Corporation (NYSE:GMP) announced today that only two percent of its fuel mix for 2006 was from carbon dioxide emitting sources, compared to a national average of nearly 70 percent from emitting sources, according to the Energy Information Administration. More than half of Green Mountain Power’s sources came from water, wood or wind.

“We have consistently worked to reduce emissions at Green Mountain Power, both in our operations and in the fuels we use to supply our customers with electricity,” said Christopher L. Dutton, president and chief executive officer of Green Mountain Power. “In 2006, we achieved the lowest proportion of emission-producing fuels that we’ve had in decades. We were able to take advantage of additional hydro power resources from Hydro Quebec and we experienced near record-breaking production at our own hydro facilities, which helped reduce the use of fossil fuels,” he added. Green Mountain Power uses no coal and in 2006 sold more power into the New England market than it purchased.

Green Mountain Power owns and operates eight hydroelectric plants in Vermont. Hydro generation in 2006 was 30 percent greater than the 20-year average, with several plants recording the highest annual generation in 31 years of record. Overall production was the third highest total in 31 years of record, producing 161,937 megawatt hours. At a 2006 cost of 3.6 cents per kilowatt hour, Green Mountain Power’s own hydro generation is its second lowest cost source. Power generated at Green Mountain Power’s wind generating station is its lowest cost source, at 3.1 cents per kilowatt hour.

“With the world focused on how to combat global climate change, we are proud that this year our carbon footprint is so small,” said Mr. Dutton. “Our challenge in the future will be how to keep our emissions low as we replace the contracts for power from Vermont Yankee and Hydro Quebec, which expire in 2012 and 2015, respectively.”

The complete breakdown of Green Mountain Power’s fuel mix in 2006 is: hydro 50.4%, nuclear 43%, wood 4.3%, oil/natural gas 2.2%, and wind 0.1%. Water, wood and wind together produced 55 percent of the total. (Renewable Energy Credits, or RECs, were sold for a portion of the energy generated at Green Mountain Power’s wind facility in Searsburg. Energy associated with the RECs sold is not claimed as wind and is 0.5% of the total energy in 2006.)

Green Mountain Power Corporation is a Vermont-based energy services company serving 90,000 electric customers.

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Green Mountain Power Corporation

Large-Scale Wind Power Plant to be Built in France

Paris -- EDF Energies Nouvelles (Paris:EEN) has ordered 26 turbines for its Chemin d'Ablis wind farm from German company REpower. Construction of this large-scale wind power plant, which will have 52 MW in installed capacity, is due to commence in 2007.

The Chemin d'Ablis wind farm, located in the Eure-et-Loir department, will boast 26 windmills, each capable of generating 2 MW, located alongside a 13km stretch of the A10 motorway. It represents a total investment of €75 million.

Work is set to begin in spring 2007, with the taking over of the wind farm scheduled during the first half of 2008.

The windmills are to be supplied by REpower, a major European turbine manufacturer, under an agreement with the manufacturer covering a total order of 46 turbines: 26 windmills for Chemin d'Ablis, plus 20 for the Biker (26 MW) and Walkway (14 MW) wind farms in the UK.

This order falls within the scope of the framework agreements signed by EDF Energies Nouvelles with the world's leading manufacturers to secure its supply of turbines around the world.

The start-up of construction work at the Chemin d'Ablis project will bolster EDF Energies Nouvelles' position in its home market. To date, EDF EN has developed and built 140 MW in capacity in France, including 60 MW for its own account. Construction of six new wind farms in France representing an additional 160 MW in installed capacity is planned, with start-up dates during 2007 and 2008.

About EDF Energies Nouvelles
Founded in 1990, EDF Energies Nouvelles is a world-class player in the green electricity generation market. With a presence in 9 European countries and in the United States, EDF Energies Nouvelles operates in four renewable energy segments (wind, hydro, biomass and solar). Wind energy currently accounts for nearly 80% of its installed capacity.

See the Source:
EDF Energies Nouvelles

More Wind Power Coming to Ontario

Schneider Power Launches $90 Million Four Wind Farm Development

TORONTO -- February 27, 2007 -- Schneider Power Inc., a leading Canadian owner and builder of renewable energy generation projects, announced today that it has launched the development and expansion of four new wind farms across the Province for a total capital cost of $90 million dollars.

Schneider Power intends to develop and construct three new 10 Megawatt, low-impact wind farms across the Province, one adjacent to Highway 400 near the Town of Innisfil, "The Highway 400 Wind Farm," one near the Town of Arthur, "The Arthur Wind Farm," and one near the Town of Trout Creek, "The Trout Creek Wind Farm." In addition to this Schneider Power also intends to expand the Providence Bay/Spring Bay Wind Farm to its full 11.6 MW capacity by end of 2008. Collectively these wind farms represent a total of 41.6 MW of installed capacity and will produce 8.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power an equivalent of 11,000 homes.

In 2006 Schneider Power successfully established its presence in Ontario with the construction of The Providence Bay/Spring Bay Wind Farm, on Manitoulin Island. It is Canada's most technologically advanced small-scale wind power generation project and one of the first Wind Farms in Ontario to be built solely with wind turbine generators from German manufacturer Enercon GmbH.

"Today's announcement by the Province has given us the confidence to continue to make a strong commitment to Renewable Energy in Ontario," said Thomas Schneider, CEO, Schneider Power Inc. "This is the next step in building on a proven growth strategy for our Company and it brings us closer to our goal of 500 MW installed across Canada by 2010 -- more than double our previous production capacity," he said.

The accelerating demand for clean electricity has allowed Schneider Power to grow rapidly in the past three years. With developments of power projects in Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Ontario totaling in excess of 500 MW, the Company hopes to establish itself as one Canada's leading green electricity generators. Headed by the Chairman, Bernd Schneider, the Schneider family has over 115 years of experience in developing clean, renewable energy. Schneider Power is a leader in applying new environmentally friendly technologies and is a member of the United Nations Global Compact.

About Schneider Power Inc.
Schneider Power Inc. is a 100 percent green electricity generator with facilities in Canada and Germany that generate electricity exclusively from small-scale, low-impact wind power projects who meet or exceed the federal government's EcoLogo standard for renewable energy. Schneider Power intends to invest heavily over the next three years to increase its presence in Ontario by increasing the nameplate capacity of its planned Ontario developments to more than 41.6 Megawatts, with plans for a further 500 MW of green electricity generation installed across Canada by 2010.

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Schneider Power

Wind Energy is the World's Fastest Growing Energy Source

DUBLIN, Ireland--(February 15)--Research and Markets has announced the addition of Global Wind Power Market Potential to their offering.

Wind is simple air in motion. It is caused by the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun. Since the earth’s surface is made of very different types of land and water, it absorbs the sun’s heat at different rates. Today, wind energy is mainly used to generate electricity. Wind energy is also world's fastest growing energy source and is a clean and renewable source that has been in use for centuries in Europe and more recently in the United States and other nations. Wind turbines, both large and small, produce electricity for utilities and homeowners and remote villages.

Wind energy is a clean energy source as electricity generated by wind turbines does not pollute the air or emit pollutants like other energy sources. This means less smog, less acid rain and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Every 10,000 MW of wind installed can reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 33 MMT annually if it replaces coal-fired generating capacity, or 21 MMT if it replaces generation from average fuel mix.

Many developing countries have little incentive to use wind energy technologies to reduce their emissions, despite the fact that the most rapid growth in CO2 emissions is in the developing world. Two related activities could give both developed and developing countries incentives to develop wind projects. The first is joint implementation, a program under which firms from the developed countries can earn carbon offsets by building clean energy projects in the developing world. Developed nations should endorse and push for joint implementation to move from its current status to full-scale implementation.

The second activity is the World Bank's Global Environmental Facility (GEF), which can cover the incremental cost of developing environmentally benign or beneficial projects in the developing world, such as building a wind project instead of an apparently cheaper coal project. This incentive is particularly important for countries such as China and India, which have tremendous power needs and must build energy capacity quickly at the lowest possible cost.

This report examines global wind power market potential.

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Research and Markets

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More about emissions

Global Wind Energy Markets Continue to Boom – 2006 Another Record Year

Industry delivered 32% of annual market growth despite supply chain difficulties.

Brussels – February 2 - The booming wind energy markets around the world exceeded expectations in 2006, with the sector experiencing yet another record year. On the day of the publication of the 4th Assessment Report on Climate Change by the IPCC, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) released its annual figures for 2006. These figures, which include wind energy developments in more than 70 countries around the world, show that the year saw the installation of 15,197 megawatts (MW), taking the total installed wind energy capacity to 74,223 MW, up from 59,091 MW in 2005.

Despite constraints facing supply chains for wind turbines, the annual market for wind continued to increase at the staggering rate of 32% following the 2005 record year, in which the market grew by 41%. This development shows that the global wind energy industry is responding fast to the challenge of manufacturing at the required level, and manages to deliver sustained growth.

In terms of economic value, the wind energy sector has now become firmly installed as one of the important players in the energy markets, with the total value of new generating equipment installed in 2006 reaching €18 billion, or US$23 billion.

The countries with the highest total installed capacity are Germany (20,621 MW), Spain (11,615 MW), the USA (11,603 MW), India (6,270 MW) and Denmark (3,136). Thirteen countries around the world can now be counted among those with over 1000 MW of wind capacity, with France and Canada reaching this threshold in 2006.

In terms of new installed capacity in 2006, the US continued to lead with 2,454 MW, followed by Germany (2,233 MW), India (1,840 MW), Spain (1,587 MW), China (1,347 MW) and France (810 MW). This development shows that new players such as France and China are gaining ground.

“The tremendous growth in 2006 shows that decision makers are starting to take seriously the benefits that wind energy development can bring. However, we must not forget that wind energy is a new technology that needs robust policy frameworks and political commitment to fulfill its full potential,” said Arthouros Zervos, Chairman of GWEC.

Europe is still leading the market with 48,545 MW of installed capacity at the end of 2006, representing 65% of the global total. In 2006, the European wind capacity grew by 19%, producing approximately 100 TWh of electricity, equal to 3.3% of total EU electricity consumption in an average wind year.

“While Germany and Spain still represent 50% of the EU market, we are seeing a healthy trend towards less reliance on these two countries. In the EU, 3,755 MW were installed outside of Germany, Spain and Denmark in 2006. In 2002, this figure still stood at only 680 MW,” said Christian Kjaer, the European Wind Energy Association’s (EWEA) CEO.

“The figures clearly confirm that a second wave of European countries is investing in wind power.”

Despite the continuing growth in Europe, the general trend shows that the sector is gradually becoming less reliant on a few key markets, and other regions are starting to catch up with Europe. The growth in the European market in 2006 accounted for about half of the total new capacity, down from nearly three quarters in 2004.

Asia has experienced the strongest increase in installed capacity outside of Europe, with an addition of 3,679 MW, taking the continent over 10,600 MW. In 2006, the continent grew by 53% and accounted for 24% of new installations. The strongest market here remains India with over 1,840 MW of new installed capacity, which takes its total figure up to 6,270 MW.

China more than doubled its total installed capacity by installing 1,347 MW of wind energy in 2006, a 70% increase from last year’s figure. This brings China up to 2,604 MW of capacity, making it the sixth largest market world wide. The Chinese market was boosted by the country’s new Renewable Energy Law, which entered into force on 1 January 2006.

“Thanks to the Renewable Energy law, the Chinese market has grown substantially in 2006, and this growth is expected to continue and speed up. According to the list of approved projects and those under construction, more than 1,500 MW will be installed in 2007. The goal for wind power in China by the end of 2010 is 5,000 MW, which according to our estimations will already be reached well ahead of time,” said Li Junfeng of the Chinese Renewable Energy Industry Association (CREIA).

22% of the world’s new wind capacity was installed in North America, where the annual market increased by a third in 2005, gaining momentum in both the US and Canada.
For the second year running, the US wind energy industry installed nearly 2,500 MW, making it the country with the most new wind power.

“Strong growth figures in the US prove that wind is now a mainstream option for new power generation,“ said Randy Swisher, President of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “Wind’s exponential growth reflects the nation’s increasing demand for clean, safe and domestic energy, and continues to attract both private and public sources of capital. New generating capacity worth US$4 billion was installed in 2006, billing wind as one of the largest sources of new power generation in the country – second only to natural gas – for the second year in a row.”

Canada also had a record year, with the installed capacity more than doubling from 683 MW in 2005 to 1459 MW at the end of 2006. “Wind energy is an emerging Canadian success story and 2006 will be remembered as the year that our country first began to seriously capture its economic and environmental benefits,” said Robert Hornung, President of the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA). “Canada’s is on the cusp of a wind energy boom as provincial governments are now targeting to have a minimum of 10,000 MW of installed wind energy capacity in place by 2015.”

Growth in the relatively young African and Middle Eastern market picked up considerably in 2006, with 172 MW of new installed capacity, bringing the total up to 441 MW. This represents a 63% growth, and should be seen as a promising signs for future developments. The main countries experiencing growth are Egypt (230 MW, up from 145 MW), Morocco (124 MW, up from 64 MW) and Iran (48 MW, up from 23 MW).

Compared to previous years, the Australian market only experienced slow growth in 2006. "While 2006 saw only 109 MW installed bring total capacity to 817 MW, the Australian market has been given a new lease of life with the introduction of state based renewable energy targets providing a more positive outlook for 2007," said Dominique La Fontaine, CEO of the Australian Wind Energy Association (Auswind).

“As security of energy supply and climate change are ranging high on the political agendas of the world’s governments, wind energy has already become a mainstream energy source in many countries around the world. Wind energy is clean and fuel-free, which makes it the most attractive solution to the world’s energy challenges,” said Arthouros Zervos, Chairman of GWEC.

See the Source:
Global Wind Energy Council

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How to make your diesel generator a clean energy source by reducing particulate matter, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.