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USA’s wind power industry needs National Renewable Energy Standard

the absence of a standard has discouraged investment in new manufacturing facilities and has effectively made the U.S wind industry less competitive than counterparts in Europe and China where  long-term policy commitments are in place.

U.S. wind industry calls for national renewable energy standard,  SmartPlanet, By David Worthington | Jul 28, 2010 American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the national trade association for the wind energy industry in the United States, is sounding the alarm over the industry’s future viability without a national renewable energy standard. AWEA released a report on the state of the industry revealing that U.S. utility companies have installed more oil and gas power plants during this year than win and other renewable energy. In comparison, wind roughly matched natural gas over the previous two year, according to the rep

AWEA is lobbying for the United State Congress to act to create a standard that would require utilities to produce a percentage of power from renewable energy sources. It argues that the absence of a standard has discouraged investment in new manufacturing facilities and has effectively made the U.S wind industry less competitive than counterparts in Europe and China where it says long-term policy commitments are in place.

In 2007, China announced its “National Action Plan” plan for climate change, which includes targets for increasing it’s the proportion of electricity the country generates from renewable energy. A 2008 European Union directive called for each member state to increase its share of renewable energy.

“Strong federal policy supporting the U.S. wind energy industry has never been more important,” said AWEA CEO Denise Bode in a prepared statement. “We have an historic opportunity to build a major new manufacturing industry. Without strong, supportive policy like an RES to spur demand, investment, and jobs, manufacturing facilities will go idle and lay off workers if Congress doesn’t act now – before time runs out this session.”U.S. wind industry calls for national renewable energy standard – SmartPlanet

July 29, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, USA | antinuclear, climate change, energy efficiency, global warming, renewable energy, renewables, wind