by NAW Staff on Wednesday 11 March 2015 www.nawindpower.com
Source: NAW Staff (Wednesday 11 March 2015)
A highly anticipated government report says U.S. wind power could double over the next five years and ultimately become one the country’s largest sources electricity, with the savings to consumers reaching tens of billions dollars annually.
After two years research and peer review, the White House and the U.S. Department of Energy have released “Wind Vision: A New Era of Wind Power in the United States.” The new report updates and extends a 2008 Bush administration report, “20% Wind Energy by 2030,” which galvanized the rapid growth of wind to the point that it now generates 4.5% of U.S. electricity. Wind Vision describes a new scenario for wind to reach 10% by 2020, 20% by 2030, and 35% by 2050, as well as provides a roadmap for government and industry to get there.
“We can do this and save you money by doing it,” says Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). “This definitive report provides the wind industry with aggressive targets for the growth of wind energy in America, and we stand ready to meet them. It starts with getting common-sense policies in place so we can double U.S. wind energy in the next five years.”
“This report documents how wind energy already provides major economic and environmental benefits to America, including protecting consumers against energy price spikes and making deep cuts in pollution and water use,” comments John Kostyack, executive director of the Wind Energy Foundation. “As wind becomes one of the country’s top sources of electricity, Wind Vision promises even bigger benefits for decades to come.”
Over 50 industry executives and professionals will serve as ambassadors to educate Americans and elected officials about those benefits, under a year-long joint campaign announced by AWEA and the Wind Energy Foundation to disseminate the findings. In addition, AWEA says over 400,000 supporters of wind energy have signed up at powerofwind.com to ask state and federal lawmakers to support the needed policies.
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