Last week North Carolina state legislators placed a moratorium on new wind farm permits through 2018. The last-minute amendment to H 589, a wide ranging energy bill, will stop North Carolina from harvesting more homegrown wind power. The bill now awaits a final decision from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. “We’re calling on Governor Cooper to…
AWEA statement on White House Energy Week
The following is a statement from Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) on President Trump’s Energy Week remarks: “We support President Trump’s strategic vision to seek American energy dominance. The wind industry — America’s largest source of renewable energy capacity — stands ready to do our part implementing the President’s vision to…
Ohio lawmakers fail to fix wind setback rule in budget
The Ohio House of Representatives has insisted upon removing an important fix to wind-turbine setback policy from the state’s proposed biennial budget, after Senate lawmakers advanced a compromise measure last week. Adopted in 2014 with no public debate, Ohio’s current wind-turbine setbacks are among the country’s most restrictive and have essentially functioned as a ban…
Unlocking Ohio wind resources a multi-billion dollar opportunity for the state
Ohio Senate lawmakers advanced an important fix to wind-turbine setback policy in the state’s proposed biennial budget. The state’s setback policy, among the most restrictive in the nation, has effectively stopped new wind-power development – and the jobs that come along with it – since passing in 2014. “The Ohio Senate took a stand for…
New report: No evidence that changing power mix endangers reliability of electric system
A new report by Analysis Group answers questions asked two months ago by Energy Secretary Rick Perry about the reliability and market rules of the U.S. electric power grid. Analysis Group finds it is market forces – primarily low-cost natural gas and flat demand for electricity – that are causing some coal and nuclear power plants…
Industries urge Nevada’s Governor to transform to a clean-energy economy
National business groups representing the geothermal, solar, and wind-power industries sent a letter to Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval asking him to sign bill AB206, expanding the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 40% renewable energy by 2030. “Our organizations represent thousands of leading renewable energy companies in the United States who have invested billions of dollars…
WINDPOWER 2017 closes with an eye on 2020
American wind power’s future growth will be driven by a diverse range of customers and trends. Leaders representing a corporate purchaser, deregulated utility, a public utility commissioner, and a wind developer, discussed a few of those trends – demand from diverse customers, transmission expansion, falling costs, and storytelling – on the closing General Session panel…
Xcel Energy CEO: Wind energy saves customers billions, maintains grid reliability
One of the nation’s leading utilities integrating wind energy onto its system reaffirmed on the second day of WINDPOWER 2017 that wind helps sustain grid reliability while saving its consumers money. Addressing over 7,000 attendees, Xcel Energy’s CEO Ben Fowke recommitted the utility’s investment in wind energy as a low-cost way to help keep the…
Industry asserts ‘brand new attitude’ at WINDPOWER 2017
U.S. wind industry leaders and the leader of the California Senate described the mounting economic benefits of increased wind power as thousands arrived in Anaheim for the American Wind Energy Association’s annual WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition. “With wind’s success comes new and solvable challenges. Management of the grid needs to evolve to meet these challenges,” said…
Tristan Grimbert of EDF Renewable Energy elected to chair of AWEA board
The Board of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) elected Tristan Grimbert of EDF Renewable Energy its chair today as thousands of developers, manufacturers, and suppliers headed to the largest gathering of the wind energy industry in the Western Hemisphere. “As we return to California, birthplace of utility-scale wind power, we’re bringing a brand new…
Energy policy leader Amy Farrell to take helm of government & public affairs for wind
Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), has announced that Amy L. Farrell — a strategist and expert in energy, environmental, and regulatory policy — has been named AWEA’s Senior Vice President for Government and Public Affairs. In this capacity, Farrell will oversee federal regulatory affairs, state policy, public affairs, and industry research. She…
North Carolina becomes 41st state to host a utility-scale wind farm
Horace Pritchard, one of nearly 60 landowners associated with the North Carolina project explained what it means to him and his neighbors, “Farms have been growing corn, soybeans, and wheat for a long time here, and the wind farm revenue means a lot of families are protected from pricing swings, floods or droughts going forward.
American wind power reports best first quarter since 2009
America’s wind power workforce installed 908 utility-scale turbines in the first quarter of 2017, totaling 2,000 MW of capacity. This is the wind industry’s strongest start in eight years, according to a new report released by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “We switched on more megawatts in the first quarter than in the first…
Industry groups ask for study of electricity markets to be “open and transparent” process
Three national business associations representing the wind, solar, and broad advanced energy industries have called on U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry to “initiate a public process” to gather input to inform the 60-day study he has ordered on electricity markets and reliability. In a letter to Secretary Perry, Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), the American…
Penn State earns top honors at Collegiate Wind Competition 2017
Last week at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) near Boulder, Colorado, teams from 10 of the 12 universities that participated in the U.S Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition 2016 reconvened for a shot at taking home the top prize at the Collegiate Wind Competition 2017 Technical Challenge. The following teams participated in this year’s…
Wind adds jobs over 9 times faster than the overall economy
American wind power added jobs over 9 times faster than the overall economy amid robust growth for another year.
Clean energy coalition supports proposed FERC revision of interconnection process
A coalition of clean energy groups voiced their support recently for proposed interconnection changes by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Bring your attitude: WINDPOWER 2017 is where it’s at
May 22 to 25, 2017 Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, California | windpowerexpo.org Before many rural communities were connected to the electric grid, farmers depended on windmills to pump water needed for crops and cattle. Decades later, wind energy is still helping out on farmlands, providing a steady income for many farmers and ranchers when the rains…
Clean-energy coalition supports proposed FERC revision of interconnection process
A coalition of clean-energy groups voiced their support for proposed interconnection changes by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to improve the efficiency and transparency of interconnection requests and remove barriers to renewable energy development. The following are comments made by representatives of clean energy and emerging technology groups that support FERC taking action: “AEE supports…
Energy Department announces 2018 Collegiate Wind Competition participants
The Energy Department selected 12 collegiate teams to participate in the third Collegiate Wind Competition. This competition, led by the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, challenges undergraduate students to: Design and build a model wind turbine based on market research and siting considerations Develop a business plan to market the products Test the turbines against a…