Wind Power: China Takes the Lead; US has Room for Expansion

Well, it's official. China has recently completed the construction of enough wind turbines to have jumped ahead of the US as the new world leader in capacity of wind powered electricity. But not by much. And! We have MASSIVE potential for the expansion of our wind energy industry!

An article recently published in the Los Angeles Times reported a monstrous jump in Chinese wind powered electricity capacity which sling-shot them ahead of the United States as the new world leaders in wind power capacity. The article reads:

For the first time ever, the Asian giant’s capacity –- the amount of electricity that can be generated using wind –- blew past the U.S. to soar 62% to 41,800 megawatts. American-based turbines can produce up to 40,180 megawatts, a 15% jump from the beginning of 2010, according to a report from the American Wind Energy Assn

Meanwhile, in the US...

The U.S. wind market had a rough year overall, ending 2010 with 5,115 megawatts of new installations –- just half of the record amount put up in 2009. The fourth quarter saw just 3,195 megawatts erected, a slide from the 4,113 installed in the same period in 2009.

The association blamed short-lived government subsidies.

These short-term (one or two years) government subsidies for the development and installation of clean energy technologies such as wind, are certainly--and understandably--unattractive to business investors. Considering the inherent difficulty of innovation and the probable multitude of hoops (permits) which would more than likely need to be jumped through before the installation and operation of new wind power technology (or any other clean energy technology, for that matter) these government subsidies should have lifespans to 10 or 20 years. Lord knows the coal and oil industries have had their grubby little hands deep in 'big brother's' pocket for decades.

On the bright side, at least President Obama understands the importance of subsidizing technologies we want to pursue, rather than the ones we want to phase out. His newly proposed budget for fiscal year 2012 seeks to devote $3.2 billion to energy efficiency and clean energy sources--a 46% increase. The LA Times article continues:

But after a key incentive, the 1603 federal Treasury grant program, was extended for a year (still, not long enough!) in December, the wind industry began to perk up. As 2011 begins, roughly 5,600 megawatts of wind power capacity is under construction, the trade group said.

Even despite the current--and very promising--construction of an additional 5,600 megawatts of wind power capacity in the US, we cannot simply expect a couple years of government assistance to simply bolster the US wind power industry ahead of China for long, we need long term, undisputed support of the industry.

As I am currently in the process of producing a report on the water footprint of electricity sources, in which wind power currently--and significantly--has the lowest water footprint of all other sources of electricity, I have paid a great deal of attention to the wind power industry. One disturbing fact that caught my eye in the research process, is that the US currently does not have any offshore wind power capacity. Looking at this map of potential wind resources in the US put together by the National Renewable Energy Labratory, it is clear that the greatest areas of wind potential lie along the coasts.

And we have not yet began to put this potential energy to use? Crazy.

However, it looks like Maryland's Governor Martin O'Malley is in agreement with me. O'Malley is planning to introduce into legislation a law requiring energy companies to purchase a set amount of their total electricity capacity from wind turbines which will be installed in the Atlantic Ocean, in hopes to spur investment in the offshore wind industry.

According to a news article on Change.org, the stretch of the Atlantic Ocean where O'Malley proposes to spur investment in offshore wind investment, called the Mid Atlantic Bight, alone, is reported to have a wind power capacity of approximately 330,000 megawatts--enough electricity to power one third of the US. Go Martin O'Malley!

Show your support of expanding US wind power capacity and spurring investment in offshore wind power development by signing this petition to Help Maryland Launch a National Offshore Wind Revolution!