Cedar Rapids Weather
Wind Farm Construction Nearly At A Halt In Iowa
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Construction of wind farms has fallen 71 percent nationwide this year and has disappeared from Iowa.
About 700 megawatts of capacity was completed in the first half of this year, and an additional 5,000 megawatts of capacity is under construction nationally ahead of the expiration of a grant program created by the 2009 stimulus bill, the American Wind Energy Association reported Tuesday. But industry officials say the industry will continue its slowdown unless Congress enacts a national renewable-electricity mandate to reassure investors that there will be a market for additional wind power. A proposed mandate has been shelved in the Senate. "The numbers are dismal. They're getting worse," said Denise Bode, chief executive of the association. No sites are under construction in Iowa, although the state remains No. 2 in total wind generation capacity with 3,670 megawatts, according to the wind association. No. 1 Texas added 202 megawatts in the first half of the year, the biggest growth in the country, to extend its total capacity to 9,708. California ranks No. 3 with 2,739 megawatts, a gain of 17 this year. Manufacturing expansion also is in a lull. Orders for turbines rose slightly during the second quarter but not enough to encourage manufacturers to expand, the association said. The House included a renewable-power mandate in a climate bill that narrowly passed the chamber a year ago, but the legislation stalled in the Senate. Democratic leaders are proceeding instead with a stripped-down energy bill that would omit any renewable-power mandate. The smaller bill, which the Senate could take up this week, focuses on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and energy-efficiency measures that have the best chance of passing, said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "A small, carefully targeted package" has the "only realistic chance" of getting through the Senate, Manley said. But Bode said the renewable-power mandate on its own has at least 60 votes in the Senate, the minimum needed to avoid a filibuster. Without the mandate in place, utilities are continuing to rely on coal and natural gas for additional generation, she said. The mandate is needed to provide a long-term market, said Jeff Coventry, senior vice president of operations for Tradewinds Energy, which has two 300-megawatt projects planned for completion in Iowa in 2013, one in Poweshiek County and one in Washington. The current projects are competing to fill demand created by state-level mandates. "What remains is the opportunity to market to other parts of the country. That won't happen if there isn't a policy directive," he said. MidAmerican Energy has regulatory approval to install an additional 1,000 megawatts of capacity to go along with the 1,350 it already has. "We still intend to be in the wind business," Dean Crist, MidAmerican's vice president of regulatory affairs, said when asked about the impact of not having a national renewable-power standard. More Good Stuff |
What's On KCRG
Most Popular >> |
Conversation Guidelines
Be Kind
Don't use abusive, offensive, threatening, racist, vulgar or sexually-oriented language.
Don't attack someone personally. Keep it civil and be responsible.
Share Knowledge
Be truthful. Share what you know and what you are passionate about.
What more do you want to learn? Keep it simple.
Stay focused
Promote lively and healthy debate. Stay on topic. Ask questions and give feedback on the story's topic.
Report Trouble
Help us maintain a quality comment section by reporting comments that are offensive. If you see a comment that is offensive, or you feel violates our guidelines, simply click on the "x" to the far right of the comment to report it.
read the full guidelines here »
Commenting will be disabled on stories dealing with the following subject matter: Violent crime, sexual abuse, Amber Alerts, Operation Quickfinds and suicides.
Most Popular >>