8:00am – Jeff Anthony, Dir of Business Development, AWEA- providing State of the Windpower Energy Industry…
– 5,155 MW installed in ’10
– 3,195 MW of that installed in Q4 which has been a historical trend for Wind.
– USA has 40,180 MW installed as of 12/31/10. +15%
– 5,600 MW currently under construction in ’11
– Cost of wind is starting to come in line with other “new” energy sources (I.e. Clean Coal, Hydro, Solar, etc.).
– Average of $60 MW/H…as low as $30 MW/H in high wind producing areas.
– 400 MFG facilities in US supplying Windpower Industry…approximate 50% of total supply chain components
– MFG facilities for Windpower supply chain are located in states w/ active projects. Almost none in SE USA b/c almost no major projects.
– Production Tax Credit a must to keep continued investment in Windpower. Expires end 2012
UPDATE
8:30a – Dan Shreve, MAKE Consulting.
– Turbine Rotor Program defining market
– Taller towers offers new solutions for CoE Enhancement. Provides great opportunity down supply chain.
– Tower technology opens door for new innovation in science, products, techniques, logistics, & materials.
– Drivetrain technology also offers great opportunity for supply chain. Permanent Magnet technology has the greatest buzz of opportunity.
Q&A
– Q1: Why doesn’t US have longterm policy for wind?
-A: Jeff Anthony: Politics!
– Q2: If wind is already competitive with newer energy technology why push for renewing tax credit?
-A: Jeff: both include tax credit in pricing structure. Take away and all prices go up. Also fossil fuel have permanent tax credit in place. The “legacy” credits have no future of expiring. Benefit of Wind over NG is permanent cost structure for term of lease…same can’t be said for NG or coal.
-Q3: 50% supply chain domestic manufacturing. Is this growing, shrinking? Timeframe?
-A: Jeff Anthony: no timeframe right now. Up to industry to make investment in market.
– Dan Shreve: opportunity for US supply chain is in Drivetrain. Much of blade, bolt, materials already manufactured domestic.
– Q4: How will Japanese Nuclear Crisis effect future of Windpower?
– A: Jeff Anthony: AWEA position has always been all of above energy policy. Nuclear is a clean technology too, but the investment and risk level is much greater.
Gov. Mike Beebe getting ready for Keynote…
8:55a – Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe
“I am committed to domestic energy production. I am committed to domestic Renewable Energy Production. I am committed to domestic Windpower Renewable Energy.”
– “…Domestic Energy production is a national security issue. We (Americans) have a short-term memory issue when it comes to energy production and national security”
– “…If OPEC was a US company they would be shut down and their executives in jail for antitrust practices…”
– Windpower adds to the longterm domestic energy solution and stability.
– as more states & regions add Windpower the greater voice it will have in Congress for longterm policy.
– Even if Arkansas can’t have all the wind turbines like sister-states, Arkansas can make all the parts and components that supply the industry.
– Tax policy and longterm policy needs to be in place in order for this to happen.
– Arkansas has done this and multinational component manufactures from around the world including Denmark, Germany, & Japan have opened plants in Arkansas supplying Wind industry.
– “We’re going to do what ever we can in Arkansas (to create long-term domestic energy production) the rest of the country can Lead, Follow, or get the he’ll out of the way!”
Filed Under: Turbines
