wind energy Archives

Oct 15, 2019

Wind Power Industry Requests U.S. Tax Credits

A little over a year ago, the U.S. Wind Energy agreed to let its production tax credit lapse in 2020. Accord to representatives of the Washington-based American Wind Energy Association, the tax credits are now needed for the industry to maintain its cost advantage against competitive sources such as solar and natural gas. Citing President Donald Trump’s import tariffs on steel and other wind farm components, industry representatives claim that construction costs for on and offshore wind farms have risen by 28%. Wind Energy Association has indicated that it will lobby for the investment tax credit for wind energy to… Read more

Jun 6, 2014

Pursuit of US Offshore Wind Energy Takes a Step Forward, Yet Technical, Legal Challenges Remain

With nearly 100,000 miles of coastline, the US Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that US offshore wind holds the potential to provide 900,000 megawatts of electricity, which is roughly the energy necessary to power 270 million homes. Yet, it may come as a surprise to the general public that there are currently zero operational offshore wind farms in the US. In a bid to pursue the feasibility of the nascent American offshore wind energy industry, the DOE announced in 2012 that seven offshore wind “demonstration projects” would receive approximately $4 million each in federal matching funds, aimed at exploring the… Read more

Feb 3, 2014

Tax Credits for Renewables Up in the Air

Tax credits for renewable energy production and other incentives expired with 2013. The current Congress, facing mid-term elections, sees more pressing issues than the retroactive extension of these credits, including credits of a $1 per gallon of biodiesel, 2.3 cents per kilowatt hour of wind energy, $1.01 per gallon of ethanol produced from cellulose sources, and credits for household energy efficiency improvements. Projects that began construction before the December 31 expiration are entitled to many of the credits for renewables through the end of 2015, although new projects would not be eligible without extender legislation. If Congress takes any action… Read more

Aug 9, 2013

U.S. Remains One of Largest and Fastest Growing Wind Power Markets

On August 6, The U.S. Department of Energy released two reports that demonstrate record growth in the U.S. wind energy market. The two reports, which can be found here, are the 2012 Wind Technologies Market Report, which details the latest trends in the market, and the 2012 Market Report on Wind Technologies. In 2012, wind energy became the number one source for new electricity generation capacity in the U.S. for the first time, representing 43% of all new U.S. electricity generation capacity, and $25 billion in investment. This is before offshore wind generation starts up. The Bureau of Ocean Energy… Read more