One main reason for the recent drop in quarterly installed wind power may have been the political climate during the election and the uncertainty of renewing the Production Tax Credits for wind. Also, the global recession affected the market dramatically in 2009, and we can see it increasing ever since.
There is no need for renewable energy mandates. Both wind and solar are unreliable sources of energy and produce so little as to lack any justification for their existence.
The wind industry exists because it spends millions annually to convince legislators that it should not only be subsidized and because many states require its use. Take away the interference of government entities and the industry would have no real basis to exist. It is a fraud.
In another perspective of the AWEA report, if one looks at the cumulative wind power capacity in the US since 2001 it can be said that the sector has been growing steadily. Looking at the quarterly projects under construction we see that they have actually been on the rise since the recession (except for the very uncertain period of 4Q2012). “Every region in the U.S. has more under construction and online in 2012 than they installed in all of 2011”. So after the recession, from 2010-2012 quarterly installed capacity was growing. I would say this rise would have been continued were it not for the PTC’s expiration. Now that the tax credits have been extended, although for only this year of 2013, could we expect the same trend or should we expect wind farmers to follow Texas’ suit? Texas, according to one of the sources, 26% of its generated wind power is now being utilized – a new record. What caused this increase in utilized wind power, and would this be adopted elsewhere?
I completely agree that the tax credits should be renewed further for the sake of the domestic wind market, and I wonder how many domestic direct and indirect jobs would be at stake it were to crash? What would cause the major market players in US wind power to withdraw? Despite the gains in the wind industry, producers’ and investors’ decisions will heavily depend on the tax credits’ future.
https://windpowerenergysociety.wordpress.com
So wind energy is justified as reducing greenhouse gases that are not causing global warming which does not exist, is receiving millions in subsidies, and wants to kill protected species, an environmental objective. This is hypocrisy on a galactic scale.
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