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Is wind energy good for the environment?

Researcher
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Wind Power

W
fossil fuel use.

ind has emerged as the nations fastest-growing energy source, with thousands of towering turbines dotting the countryside from California to New England. Generating capacity has

risen as much as 50 percent annually, encouraged by tax incentives

and state laws mandating growth in renewable energy. Already, wind provides about 2 percent of electricity nationwide, and the Department of Energy says a 20 percent share by 2030 is possible with improvements in turbine technology, large-scale investment and better planning of the electrical grid. But opponents argue that wind turbines kill tens of thousands of birds and bats each year, mar pristine scenery and require far more land than traditional methods of power generation. The battle over wind is playing out in states such as Wisconsin, where the proximity of turbines to homes is an issue, and Vermont, where environmentalists are divided over two goals: protecting scenic vistas and reducing
A small, 18-turbine wind farm in Velva, N.D., population 1,000, generates 12 megawatts, or enough electricity for 6,000 homes.

I N S I D E

THIS REPORT
THE ISSUES ....................291 CHRONOLOGY ................299 BACKGROUND ................301 CURRENT SITUATION ........304 AT ISSUE........................305 OUTLOOK ......................308 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................310 THE NEXT STEP ..............311

CQ Researcher April 1, 2011 www.cqresearcher.com Volume 21, Number 13 Pages 289-312


RECIPIENT OF SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE N AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILVER GAVEL AWARD

WIND POWER
THE ISSUES SIDEBARS AND GRAPHICS

CQ Researcher
April 1, 2011 Volume 21, Number 13

291

Can the United States derive a significant amount of its energy from wind? Is wind energy good for the environment? Should the U.S. government do more to support wind energy?

292 293 295 299 300 301 305

Thirty-Eight States Generate Wind Energy Texas generated one-fourth of the nations 40,000 megawatts. How Wind Turbines Work Spinning blades convert winds kinetic energy into mechanical power. Vermont Wind Farms Pit Greens Against Greens Does providing renewable energy lead to environmental damage? Chronology Key events since 5,500 B.C. With Wind Turbines, Taller Is Better Some turbines are 400 feet tall, with blades half as long as a football field. Wind-Power Additions Drop in 2010 Decline in new installations ran counter to previous trend. At Issue Should government do more to support wind power?

MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas J. Billitteri

tjb@cqpress.com

ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR: Kathy Koch

kkoch@cqpress.com

BACKGROUND

301 301 302

Sails and Windmills Humans have been putting the wind to use for at least 7,500 years. Harnessing Electricity An Ohio inventor built the first large windmill for electricity in the U.S. in 1887. Growth in Europe Europe took an early lead in wind-farm development.

tcolin@cqpress.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Kenneth Jost STAFF WRITERS: Marcia Clemmitt, Peter Katel CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sarah Glazer, Alan Greenblatt, Barbara Mantel, Tom Price, Jennifer Weeks DESIGN/PRODUCTION EDITOR: Olu B. Davis ASSISTANT EDITOR: Darrell Dela Rosa FACT CHECKER: Michelle Harris

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Thomas J. Colin

A Division of SAGE

PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER:

CURRENT SITUATION

John A. Jenkins Todd Baldwin

DIRECTOR, REFERENCE SOLUTIONS:

304 307

White House Support President Obama wants 80 percent of U.S. energy from clean sources by 2035. Not in My Backyard Residents in Wisconsin and other states oppose wind farms near homes, scenic areas.

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

309 310 311 311

For More Information Organizations to contact. Bibliography Selected sources used. The Next Step Additional articles. Citing CQ Researcher Sample bibliography formats.

Copyright 2011 CQ Press, a Division of SAGE. SAGE reserves all copyright and other rights herein, unless previously specified in writing. No part of this publication may be reproduced electronically or otherwise, without prior written permission. Unauthorized reproduction or transmission of SAGE copyrighted material is a violation of federal law carrying civil fines of up to $100,000. CQ Press is a registered trademark of Congressional Quarterly Inc. CQ Researcher (ISSN 1056-2036) is printed on acidfree paper. Published weekly, except: (May wk. 4) (July wks. 1, 2) (Aug. wks. 2, 3) (Nov. wk. 4) and (Dec. wks. 4, 5), by CQ Press, a division of SAGE. Annual full-service subscriptions start at $803. For pricing, call 1-800-834-9020. To purchase a CQ Researcher report in print or electronic format (PDF), visit www. cqpress.com or call 866-427-7737. Single reports start at $15. Bulk purchase discounts and electronic-rights licensing are also available. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CQ Researcher, 2300 N St., N.W., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20037.

OUTLOOK

308

Delicate Circumstances Passage of clean-energy standards is seen as unlikely.

Cover: AFP/Getty Images/Karen Bleier

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Wind Power
BY DAVID HOSANSKY
Were seeing an exponential growth in wind energy, says Lena Hansen, an exike much of the rural pert on renewable energy and Midwest, Rock Port, Mo., biofuels at the Boulder, Colo.population 1,300, has based Rocky Mountain Instifaced its share of economic tute, which promotes the susstruggles: falling incomes, tainable use of resources. It boarded-up businesses and really can be quite a substantial an exodus of young people. part of our energy future. And yet the quiet farming In some respects, wind town is on the leading edge seems like a perfect fit for the of what could be Americas nation. The steady and pownext energy revolution. erful gusts that blow across On a spring day in 2008, the Great Plains, West Coast Rock Port became the nations and other regions have led to first community to get just the United States being dubbed about all its power from the the Saudi Arabia of wind enwind. Four massive threeergy. Some studies indicate bladed turbines on agriculturthat, at least in theory, the wind al land within the city limits that blows across the contiprovide an estimated 16 milnental United States could suplion kilowatt-hours of electricity ply as much as 16 times the each year enough to meet nations electricity needs. Offthe towns needs and provide shore areas alone, where depower for sale to other jurisvelopers are beginning to plan A massive wind farm planned in Nantucket Sound off dictions. And those turbines, massive wind farms, may be Cape Cod draws opponents and supporters to Woods plus nearby wind farms, are able to generate as much enHole, Mass., for a talk by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Feb. 2, 2010. Approved by Salazar that April, the generating not only electricity ergy as four times the nations 130-turbine project would be the nations first offshore but also money: higher real electricity needs. 4 wind farm. Opponents say it would harm wildlife and estate tax revenue for local But the obstacles are forscenic views. Supporters say clean energy and government and $3,000 to midable. Much of the nations hundreds of jobs would be generated. $5,000 per year for ranchers wind blows far from major popergy source in the nation, increasing ulation centers, which means that netwho lease their land for the towers. Were farming the wind, which is in generating capacity by as much as works of transmission lines would be something that we have up here, said 50 percent annually. Boosted in part by needed to deliver energy to consumers. Jim Crawford, a natural-resource engi- tax breaks and renewable-energy manAnd because wind blows intermitneer at the University of Missouri Ex- dates in a number of states, wind now tently, it often fails to generate power tension in Columbia. The payback on provides about 2 percent of electricity when consumers need it most. This a per-acre basis is generally quite good nationwide and more than 15 percent in was vividly demonstrated during a bitwhen compared to a lot of other crops, Iowa, which leads the nation in the per- ter cold snap last Christmas, when a and its as simple as getting a cup of centage of power derived from wind. 3 lack of wind left most of Britains 3,000 Wind far exceeds every other wind turbines becalmed just as power coffee and watching the blades spin. 1 Wind-energy advocates point to suc- renewable-energy source in amount of demands swelled. The British, who cess stories such as Rock Port as ex- electricity generated except hydropower. hope eventually to derive 30 percent amples of how the nation can tap wind Many analysts view wind power as a of their power from wind, were forced to satisfy much of its energy needs. 2 key component of any strategy to re- to ramp up coal-fired power stations As concerns about the environmental duce emissions of carbon dioxide, a that emit large amounts of pollutants. impacts of traditional energy sources gas released by burning of fossil fuels Until engineers develop a cost-effective have mounted, wind has emerged in that is blamed for contributing to cli- way to store excess power from wind recent years as the fastest-growing en- mate change. turbines, utilities will need to build

THE ISSUES

AP Photo/Julia Cumes

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WIND POWER
Thirty-Eight States Generate Wind Energy
Wind power in the United States exceeded 40,000 megawatts in 2010, a fourth of it in Texas. Generating capacity is also high along the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington state. Only 12 states mostly in the Southeast lack wind-power capacity. Wind Power by State, Through 2010
Wash. Ore. Idaho Nev. Calif. Ariz. N.M.
Utah

Mont. Wyo.

N.D. S.D. Neb. Kan.

Minn. Wis. Iowa


Ill. Mich.

Vt. N.Y. Pa. Va.

N.H.
Maine

Mass. R.I. Conn.

Colo.

Mo. Ark. La.


Miss.

Ind. Ohio Ky.


Tenn. W.Va.

Okla. Texas

N.C. S.C.

Ala. Ga.

D.C.

Del. Md.

N.J.

Alaska Hawaii

Electricity in Megawatts
Fla.

None

1-100

Source: U.S. Wind Industry Year-End 2010 Market Report, 10,000+ American Wind Energy Association, January 2011, www.awea. org/learnabout/publications/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getle&PageID=5083

2,001-10,000

1,001-2,000

101-1,000

conventional power plants to meet demand when winds fail. Rock Port draws energy from the regional power grid on non-windy days and sends excess energy to the grid when the winds return. People want to use electricity when they need it and not just when the wind blows, says Daniel Simmons, director of state and regulatory affairs at the Institute for Energy Research, a group in Washington that supports free-market energy solutions. To harvest large amounts of energy, wind developers construct towers that can exceed 400 feet in height, often with a trio of blades each half the length of a football field and designed to capture as much wind as possible. The towers are arrayed by the dozens, hundreds or even thousands in wind farms. Sometimes they are built on ridges where winds are optimal and where they can be seen for miles,

to the chagrin of people who enjoy unspoiled vistas. The turbines often fray the nerves of nearby residents bothered by their noise and flickering shadows. The revolving blades act as large reflectors that can interfere with radars by appearing as false targets or as clutter that obscures real targets a significant concern for the military, although new radar technology can help alleviate the problem. Even environmentalists, while favoring a pollution-free energy source, have raised concerns. They cite the potential impact of wind farms on otherwise undisturbed areas and the deaths of birds and bats that fly into turbine blades or are affected by shifts in air pressure caused by the blades. (See sidebar, p. 245.) Debates over wind energy have roiled policy makers on the national and state levels. Lawmakers have

clashed over such issues as tax breaks for the wind industry and limits on how close turbines can be to houses. President Barack Obama is pressing for legislation requiring that 80 percent of the nations energy come from lowor non-polluting sources, including wind, by 2035. Many in Congress worry, however, that such a requirement would hurt the oil, gas and coal industries and possibly lead to higher costs for taxpayers. Taxpayers get a double whammy in terms of subsidies: They have to pay for the subsidy and then they pay for higher rates as a result of having the renewables as part of the electricity system, says Simmons. Weve been subsidizing wind and other renewables for 30 years, and theyre still not cost-effective. Without sustained government support, the wind industry may not be able to continue competing with natural gas, which is plentiful and, at least for the moment, affordable. Despite its phenomenal growth in recent years, wind has faced something of a boom-and-bust cycle, with development of new wind farms dropping by 70 to 90 percent in years when Congress has allowed federal tax credits for turbines to expire. In contrast, wind development overseas is proceeding at a breezy pace. Thanks to significant financing incentives and sustained government support for renewable energy, Denmark now derives 24 percent of its electricity from wind. The European Union is adding more electricity capacity from wind than any other source, and several governments are setting goals of deriving a third or more of their electricity from wind and other renewable sources within a few decades. Still, many consumers are raising alarms over higher electricity rates and what they regard as a blight of turbines across the landscape. China is also revving up its windenergy capabilities. It aims to get 15 percent of its energy from non-fossil-fuel sources by 2020. 5 Last year, China became the largest provider of wind

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energy in the world, with 41,800 megawatts of electricity capacity. The United States, with about 40,000 megawatts, fell to second. 6 The rapid pace of wind-industry development abroad troubles U.S. turbine manufacturers, who say that Washingtons failure to better support the wind industry is making it difficult for them to compete with overseas turbine producers. It has put the U.S. at a disadvantage in competing in the global marketplace, says Bob Gates, chief commercial officer of Clipper Windpower Inc., a turbine maker in Carpinteria, Calif. In the long term, its helping to export jobs. As policy makers consider whether to provide more support for wind power, here are some key questions being debated: Can the United States derive a significant amount of its energy from wind? Those who believe wind may emerge as a top source of electricity in the United States point to a 2008 Department of Energy (DOE) report that laid out a road map for obtaining 20 percent of the nations energy or 300 gigawatts from wind by 2030. The report found that the goal could be feasible but would require improvements in turbine technology, large-scale investments and better planning so that far-flung regions could support one another as electricity supply and demand spiked and dipped across the grid. Reaching the goal by 2030 would cost nearly $200 billion for turbines, improved transmission capability and other infrastructure, the report estimated. However, those expenses would largely be offset by reduced costs for coal, natural gas and other fuel. The report also noted that wind energy could provide such benefits as increased diversity of the nations fuel sources and reductions in coal and natural-gas emissions associated with climate change and air pollution.

How Wind Turbines Work


Turbines convert kinetic energy generated by the winds motion into mechanical power. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft that connects to a generator to create electricity.

Wind Turbine Diagram and Parts

Anemometer: Measures wind speed and transmits the data to the controller. Brake: A disc brake that can stop the rotor in emergencies. Controller: Starts up the machine at wind speeds of about 8 to 16 mph and shuts off the machine at about 55 mph. Gear box: Gears connect the low-speed shaft to the high-speed shaft and increase speeds from between 30 and 60 rotations per minute to 1,000 to 1,800, the speed required by most generators to produce electricity. Generator: Produces 60-cycle AC electricity. High-speed shaft: Drives the generator. Low-speed shaft: The rotor turns the low-speed shaft at about 30 to 60 rotations per minute. Nacelle: Contains the gear box, low- and high-speed shafts, generator, controller and brake. Pitch: Blades are turned, or pitched, out of the wind to control rotor speed. Rotor: The blades and hub together are called the rotor. Tower: Made from tubular steel, concrete or steel lattice. Wind vane: Measures wind direction and works with the yaw drive to orient the turbine to the wind. Yaw drive: Keeps the rotor on upwind turbines facing into the wind as wind direction changes. Yaw motor: Powers the yaw drive. Source: Department of Energy, www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_how.html

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WIND POWER
There are significant costs, challenges and impacts associated with the 20 percent wind scenario, concluded the report. There are also substantial positive impacts. . . . Achieving the 20 percent wind scenario would involve a major, national commitment to clean, domestic energy sources. 7 But some experts doubt that wind can grow from 2 percent to 20 percent of the nations energy supply in less than two decades. Theres been an incredible amount of money thrown at renewables and renewable-technology development, and things havent changed much, says Robert Michaels, a professor of economics at California State University at Fullerton and a consultant on wind issues. We keep hearing that, in five years, renewables are going to be economical. And five years pass, and theyre not. If there were not renewable-energy standards and the tax breaks, there would be very little development of wind. Indeed, the United States faces two fundamental obstacles: Wind often fails to blow when it is needed and where it is needed. Perhaps the single biggest challenge of wind energy is that winds often die down just as they are needed most. Because utilities lack efficient systems to store surplus wind energy and distribute it when demand peaks, they have to either build extra power plants to back up their turbines or buy electricity at a premium on the spot market. Both options can be costly. Peak demand for electricity generally occurs on very hot or very cold days, when consumers are switching on air conditioners or furnaces. But strong winds often blow at night, when demand is relatively low, and gusts rarely coincide with prolonged hot and cold spells. The mismatch between winds and consumer demand was illustrated on an unusually hot August afternoon in 2010, when Texas broke its record for energy consumption. Even though the state leads the nation in windturbine capacity, its winds tend to fade during August, and only about 5 percent of energy from its wind farms was available when consumers needed it most. The wind is free, but it also isnt dispatchable, says Simmons of the Institute for Energy Research. You cant just say youre going to produce wind tomorrow at 3 p.m. The intermittency also means that wind turbines are comparatively inefficient. They typically generate electricity at only about 25 to 40 percent of their capacity because their blades are often still. In contrast, a traditional coal plant operates at about 70 percent capacity. 8 The other fundamental challenge is that the strongest winds tend to blow in sparsely populated areas. Wind farms are proliferating in regions such as West Texas and the Dakotas, but utilities need to move that energy to cities where it is needed. The only way to do that is to build large networks of transmission lines. The 2008 DOE report estimated that to achieve the 20 percent wind-energy goal, the United States would need to build 12,000 miles of transmission lines at a cost of about $20 billion. Other analysts put the pricetag higher. 9 Ratepayers would likely bear the expense. The nation faces at least one more fundamental challenge in harnessing wind: local opposition. Polls show strong public support for wind energy at least in theory. Eighty-nine percent of respondents to a poll commissioned by the American Wind Energy Association, an industry trade group, said they favored wind power. But numerous communities are battling plans for local wind farms or networks of transmission lines. 10 The issue has come to the fore from quiet Maine islands to the Texas Hill Country. Is it really worth permanently industrializing and destroying a unique scenic area like the Hill Country? asks Robert Weatherford, a landowner in Texas Gillespie County who is battling plans to build turbines on prominent ridges and create a long-distance transmission network that would affect private properties. Despite these challenges, experts say that the goal of 20 percent wind energy or even more is achievable if national leaders establish it as a priority. To manage the intermittency of wind, utilities could rely on a mix of complementary energy sources for example, by switching between wind turbines during unsettled weather patterns and solar panels on hot days, while backing them up with gas-fired plants that can quickly ramp up and down. While new transmission lines will inevitably be controversial and costly, utilities could reduce the impact by working closely with local communities, avoiding sensitive areas or possibly tapping energy from offshore wind farms built near major cities. Its a willpower issue more than it is a cost issue, says Fort Felker, director of the National Wind Technology Center at the DOEs National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. Experts say surpassing the 20 percent goal may be unrealistic without advances in technology because the challenges of intermittency and power transmission become increasingly difficult as more wind power is introduced into the grid. You could get up to 10 to 20 percent without too much stress on the system, says Robert Evans, a professor of mechanical engineering and inaugural director of the Clean Energy Research Centre at the University of British Columbia. If you get around the 20 percent mark or more, youll start to see real strains. Is wind energy good for the environment? The approximately 5,000 wind turbines in the Altamont Pass in central California, intended to produce
Continued on p. 296

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Vermont Wind Farms Pit Greens Against Greens


Does providing renewable energy lead to environmental damage?
The situation in Vermont is not unique. A proposal to expand pposition to new wind farms in ecologically minded Vermont has come from an unusual source: environ- a West Virginia wind farm sparked a green vs. green battle in mentalists. Conservationists in the Green Mountain the courts over whether the turbine blades could endanger State have split over the prospect of building turbines on ridges, bats. And plans to build a massive offshore wind farm in a pitting those who worry about destruction of wildlife habitat wildlife-rich section of Nantucket Sound, known as Cape Wind, and scenic views against others who believe that turbines are has faced stiff resistance from prominent environmentalists, including Robert Kennedy Jr., who worry about effects on local necessary to move the state toward renewable energy. You want to save the environment by building renewable en- communities, wildlife and the landscape. Interior Secretary Ken ergy, but in Vermont the only viable places for turbines are high- Salazar approved the project last year. On the other hand, Midwestern ranchers who are not orelevation ridges that have important habitat, says Lukas Snelling, director of communications for Energize Vermont, a nonprofit advocacy dinarily associated with environmental causes have frequently group that promotes sustainable energy. So if you build wind farms, embraced wind farms. Turbines are injecting money and jobs into economically depressed rural sections of the Plains, and youre actually destroying part of the environment. Snelling says the wide roads and massive amounts of concrete states such as Texas, Iowa and Kansas are emerging as leadneeded to install turbines would essentially industrialize sensitive ing producers of wind energy. The situation has created mountain regions. As an alsome unusual political alliances. ternative, Energize Vermont For example, Sen. Sam Brownbacks small-scale, communityback, R-Kansas, aligned himself energy developments, inwith liberal Democrats in supcluding solar panels and hyporting a national renewabledropower from existing dams. energy standard last year. 2 Such projects, it contends, are a better fit for Vermonts Snelling doesnt object to wind small-town nature than largeenergy as long as the turscale wind turbines. bines are put in such spots as On the other side of the Midwestern croplands where they debate, long-established enwont endanger sensitive wildlife vironmental groups such as habitats. But he has deep reserthe Vermont Natural Resources vations about plans for about 10 Council and the Vermont wind farms in his states picPublic Interest Research Group turesque Green Mountains. favor building turbines in seBuilding wind farms in the lected locations. If properly Midwest or in the West is a very Wind turbines and clouds sit atop a hill in Vermont. placed, they contend, the turdifferent thing than building Local conservationists are divided over bines could take advantage them in Vermont, he says. Verplans to erect more hilltop turbines. of reliable wind without sigmont is a unique microcosm nificant effects on the environment, providing a critical alternative where the desire to build renewable energy in the country is to fossil-fuel plants that emit carbon dioxide and other pollutants. hitting right up against the desire to protect natural resources. In a statement urging its members to support the proposed Its as though the need to combat climate change necessitates installation of a wind farm of about 20 turbines, the Vermont that we destroy part of the environment. Its just such a weird Public Interest Research Group declared: There is no free lunch catch-22 that I cant support it. when it comes to turning on our lights or running our refrig David Hosansky erators. When we consume energy, we produce an environmental impact, and the impacts of wind power pale in com1 Kingdom community wind comment period now closed, Vermont Public parison to those of fossil fuels and nuclear power. 1 Moreover, environmentalists who support bringing turbines Interest Research Group, Feb. 18, 2011, www.vpirg.org/node/409. 2 Katie Howe and Katherine Ling, Renewable Electricity Standard to Vermont point to agreements under which wind farms have Alone or Dies, Senate Sponsors Vow, The New York Times, Sept.Bill Stands 23, 2010, said they will protect hundreds of acres through conservation www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/09/23/23greenwire-renewable-electricity-standardeasements and return the land to its natural state once the farm bill-stands-alo-16736.html. has been decommissioned.
Getty Images/Jake Wyman

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China Leads in New Wind Installations
China installed more than 16,000 megawatts of wind-power capacity in 2010 nearly half the global total and far more than any other country. The United States was a distant second, with 14 percent of the global total. China recently overtook the United States in cumulative wind-energy capacity. New Wind Energy Installed, by Country, 2010 Canada
(690 Mw)

Sweden
(603 Mw)

Rest of World
(4,750 Mw)

(948 Mw)

Italy

2.6%
United Kingdom
(962 Mw)

1.9%

1.7%

13.3%
China

2.7%

(1,086 Mw)

France

Germany
(1,493 Mw) (1,516 Mw)

3.0% 4.2% 4.2% 6.0%


India

(16,500 Mw)

46.1%

Spain

14.3%

(5,115 Mw)

United States

(2,139 Mw)

Source: Global Wind Report: Annual Market Update 2010, Global Wind Energy Council, March 2011, www.gwec.net/leadmin/documents/Publications/Global_ Wind_2007_report/GWEC Global Wind Report 2010 low res.pdf
Continued from p. 294

clean energy, have an environmental downside. The blades have killed thousands of birds, including rare raptors such as golden eagles and burrowing owls. Wind-farm power lines have electrocuted others. In West Virginia, a wind farm may have killed as many as 2,000 bats in one year. 11 Scientists believe turbines can be deadly to bats for two reasons: The nocturnal animals fly into turbine blades for reasons that are not clear, and their tiny lungs hemorrhage when they enter low-pressure zones created by the moving blades. Wind farms that are some distance from critical migratory paths or major populations of birds and bats do not

have such deadly effects, and environmentalists generally cheer the emergence of an energy source that does not emit carbon dioxide or other pollutants. Nevertheless, some are watching the spread of wind farms with concern. Renewable energy is not necessarily green energy, said Eric R. Glitzenstein, a lawyer involved in efforts to stop expansion of a West Virginia wind farm to protect the endangered Indiana bat. We should not be creating new ecological crises by addressing existing ones. All energy sources have potential benefits, but they also have potential risks. 12 Wind-energy advocates, however, contend that careful placement of wind

farms, away from migratory-bird routes and other sensitive areas, is significantly reducing the impact on wildlife. The Altamont Pass turbines were installed after the 1970s energy crisis, when such issues were not well known. The towers also are far shorter than modern turbines, allowing their blades to reach almost to the ground and kill raptors as they dive for prey. Supporters of wind energy also point out that far greater numbers of bird deaths millions to tens of millions yearly occur because of pesticides, attacks by domestic and feral cats and collisions with windows, according to Fish and Wildlife Service estimates. 13 The concerns about birds and bats around wind turbines were rooted in early turbines that were poorly sited, along migration corridors, says the Rocky Mountain Institutes Hansen. For all the reasons that birds and bats die, turbines are pretty low on the list. Still, a 2005 report by the General Accounting Office, the congressional watchdog agency now known as the Government Accountability Office, concluded that more research is needed on how wind farms affect birds and bats. It also warned that little is known about the potential impact of offshore wind farms on marine life. 14 Wildlife issues aside, critics point out that wind farms require far more land per kilowatt generated than traditional forms of electricity generation. Robert Bryce, an energy writer who has questioned the environmental benefits of renewable energy, estimates that wind power requires 45 times more land than nuclear power and several times more land than coal and natural gas plants. 15 Experts say this phenomenon, known as energy sprawl, could result in turbines covering an area the size of Texas or larger, with potential damage to sensitive ecosystems, if the United States continues to increase its use of wind.

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People dont want to see coast-toBut Evans and other energy ex- Should the U.S. government do coast windmills, says the University perts dismiss such arguments as mis- more to support wind energy? of British Columbias Evans. leading. While older coal-fired Texas may be known for oil fields, Wind-energy supporters, however, plants cannot easily cycle on and but its legislature was quick to emsay that the turbines take up rela- off, newer and more efficient gas- brace renewable energy. In 1999 the tively little space and that land around fired plants can with comparatively state required utilities to generate each tower remains available for farm- little impact on emissions, they argue. 2,000 new megawatts of power from ing, ranching or other purposes. The A kilowatt-hour of electricity pro- renewable energy within a decade and issue of the footprint of wind farms duced by wind will not entirely off- later set an even more ambitious goal: is overblown, says Jeff Deyette, as- set the emissions associated with a 10,000 megawatts by 2025. sistant director of energy research and kilowatt-hour produced by burning As a result, Texas installed more analysis at the Union of Concerned fossil fuels, but it will offset most than 10,000 megawatts of capacity from Scientists, a research group that pro- of it, they say. wind and other renewable sources by motes environmental protection. Adding wind significantly reduces 2010, some 15 years ahead of schedThere are a lot of other uses for the our carbon emissions because youre ule. The move toward wind has not land on wind been without controverfarms. And as we sy, though. Residents make improvehave sued to block ments in technoloplans for transmission gies, as wind turlines across the state, and bines get larger and utilities warn that wind there are fewer of energy is often too unthem, you need far reliable to meet peak less land. demands. Still, advoCritics also quescates believe Texas zest tion whether wind for wind power sets an farms reduce air example for the rest of pollution from trathe nation. ditional power The states goals are plants. Because incredibly effective at wind may not blow stimulating new techwhen electricity is nologies and economic Wind-turbine blades await delivery at a factory in Chinas northern needed, utilities growth, said Tom Smith, Hubei province on Sept. 30, 2010. China plans to generate 15 percent often have to build director of the Texas of its energy from non-fossil-fuel sources by 2020. Last year, China became the worlds largest provider of wind energy, additional plants to office of Public Citizen, overtaking the United States. supply back-up a consumer-advocacy p o w e r. C y c l i n g group. 17 such plants up and down is costly running fossil-fuel plants a lot less, Texas is one of more than two dozen and can emit excessive pollution, Hansen says. states that have adopted renewablemuch as driving a car at different She and other renewable-energy energy standards, and wind-energy speeds can burn more fuel than advocates also say the environmental supporters want federal policy makdriving at a constant speed. harm caused by burning fossil fuels ers to follow suit. They say a national Cycling causes coal units to oper- far exceeds the drawbacks of wind. renewable-energy or a broader cleanate less efficiently and reduces the ef- The extraction, transport and com- energy standard would strengthen the fectiveness of the environmental-control bustion of coal, natural gas or other economy by creating green jobs, reequipment, substantially increasing fossil fuels can affect water and air duce emissions from coal and naturemissions, stated a 2010 report by quality, wildlife habitats and glob- al gas and ensure a balance of enerBentek Energy, an energy-market infor- al climate, they argue. When I gy sources. mation company, that was prepared for have a choice between looking at A renewable-energy standard the Independent Petroleum Association wind turbines and looking at smog, would save money and shield conof Mountain States, an oil-industry Id rather look at wind turbines, sumers from fuel-price volatility, says trade group. 16 Hansen says. Rob Gramlich, senior vice president
AFP/Getty Images/Peter Parks

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for public policy at the American ergy advocates want a permanent If we want to move beyond peWind Energy Association. credit rather than one that expires every troleum energy and achieve some sort Critics, however, say the govern- few years an irregular and often of energy independence, as well as ment should not favor one energy unpredictable occurrence they say has maintain our technological lead in the source over another, arguing that can stunted the industrys growth. Critics world . . . , it does make sense in our drive up rates and make it harder for say the credit costs taxpayers and un- view to have government subsidies new energy technology to get a toe- fairly benefits the wind industry. until the wind industry can stand on hold in the market. In many respects, the debate over its own, says Gene Hunt, director of You dont want to force people to government support of wind energy corporate communications for Beacon use a certain technology, particularly comes down to two basic issues: Power Corp., in Tyngsboro, Mass., because a better technology may turn Whether the United States has a com- which makes flywheels for storing kiup, says California State Universitys pelling reason to promote renewable netic energy from wind and other Michaels. sources that is released Critics also point to the electrical grid out that California when needed. (See sideand some other states bar, p. 303.) Critics of are falling behind government intervenschedule to meet tion, however, maintain renewable-energy that the United States goals, partly behas vast stores of coal cause of outdated and natural gas that can transmission sysmeet the nations electems and a need for tricity needs for decades more renewable-enor even centuries to ergy facilities. A fedcome. If the goal is to eral standard may reduce carbon dioxide be even more diffiemissions, it would be cult to meet, espebetter to tackle that cially because states problem directly inhave widely differing stead of artificially Interior Secretary Ken Salazar visits the American Wind Energy amounts of wind and propping up the wind Associations annual wind-power convention in Chicago in May 2009. other potential industry, they say. Salazar and Energy Secretary Steven Chu unveiled a plan on sources of renewable We need to address Feb. 7, 2011, to accelerate the development of energy, such as sunthe carbon dioxide proboffshore wind energy in the United States. shine for solar power. lem in the most costThese policies mandate more ex- energy, and whether the government effective way, says Ross Baldick, a propensive forms of electricity generation, should support wind to counterbalance fessor of electrical and computer says the Institute for Energy Researchs policies that help other energy sources. engineering at the University of Texas. Simmons. State legislatures have tailored (See At Issue, p. 305.) An energy expert who favors a carbontheir laws to their situation, and still Wind advocates say it is crucial for consumption tax instead of tax credits theyre not meeting their standards. The the United States to reduce fossil-fuel for the wind industry, he adds, As a problem with the federal mandate is emissions, especially carbon dioxide that U.S. taxpayer, I dont want to spend it could be more of a one-size-fits-all is blamed for climate change. They also money on something that doesnt solve policy, which I believe will be even say the nation needs a stronger re- the problem. more difficult to meet. newable-energy industry to compete As for government help, windOther policies that benefit wind are globally in that sector. Wind is less ex- energy supporters say they need fedalso proving controversial, particularly pensive than other sources of renew- eral assistance if the industry is to the federal renewable-energy-production able energy, such as solar power and compete on equal terms with protax credit. It amounts to 2.1 cents per biofuels. It also appears to be safer than ducers of conventional energy. Oil kilowatt-hour for the production of nuclear power, which is likely to lose companies enjoy generous tax deelectricity from large-scale wind tur- public support after last months release ductions, natural gas companies have bines and geothermal plants. Wind en- of radiation from reactors in Japan. Continued on p. 300
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Chronology
5500 B.C.1400 A.D. 1900-1980s
Wind power first harnessed in the Middle East. 5500-5000 B.C. Egyptians and Sumerians use wind energy to sail their boats. 500-900 A.D. Persians build windmills to pump water and grind grain Middle Ages (400-1400 A.D.) Windmills spread throughout the world to grind grain, pump water and drain land.

Farmers use wind turbines for power but most of nation relies on nuclear energy and fossil fuels to generate electricity. 1930s-40s Farmers lacking electricity use small, multi-blade turbines to operate irrigation pumps. 1941 Worlds first megawatt turbine begins delivering electricity to a Vermont grid. 1950s-60s United States and other industrialized nations develop national electrical grids, relying primarily on oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear power. 1973-1974 Mideast oil embargo sparks widespread fuel shortages and spurs interest in alternative energy. 1980 Worlds first wind farm is installed in southern New Hampshire. 1983 Iowa requires utilities to invest in wind and biomass power. 1986 California establishes itself as the global leader in wind energy, with 1.2 gigawatts of capacity.

1999 Congress allows the production tax credit to expire, setting up a boombust cycle in the wind industry. 2000 Europe achieves more than 12 gigawatts of wind-energy capacity, by far the most of any region worldwide. 2003 Oil prices begin rising sharply and speculation grows that petroleum resources may be running low, spurring increased interest in alternative energy. 2005 United States reestablishes itself as the world leader in wind-energy capacity, despite rapid growth in Europe. 2008 Rock Port, Mo., becomes first U.S. community powered by wind energy. April 27, 2010 Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announces approval of nations first offshore wind farm, the controversial Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound. December 2010 Efforts to establish a national renewable energy standard die in Congress despite passage of separate versions in the House and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. 2010 China, with nearly 42 gigawatts of wind-energy capacity, overtakes the United States (40 gigawatts) as the worlds wind-energy leader. Jan. 25, 2011 In his State of the Union address, President Obama sets goal of deriving 80 percent of nations power from clean-energy sources by 2035.

18th and 19th Centuries Steam supplants wind power during


Industrial Revolution. 1700s Windmills are well established as the primary power source in preindustrial Europe. Early 1800s New steam-powered engines begin to replace windmills. 1887 Professor James Blyth of Andersons College, Glasgow, builds first windmill for electricity production. 1887-88 Cleveland inventor Charles Brush builds first wind turbine to generate electricity in the United States. 1890s Danish scientist Poul la Cour begins testing wind turbines in effort to bring electricity to rural Denmark.

1990s-Present Rising oil prices spark renewed


interest in wind energy. 1992 As part of an omnibus energy measure, Congress passes the production tax credit, intended to spur wind-farm development.

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With Wind Turbines, Taller Is Better


Some turbines are 400 feet tall, with blades half as long as a football field.
wind turbine is a machine that converts the winds kinetic energy, or movement, into electricity. The rotor generally consists of three blades that face the oncoming wind, automatically swiveling when the wind direction changes. In a typical breeze, the blades turn a shaft that revolves about 20 to 30 times a minute not enough to produce much power. However, the shaft is attached to a gearbox with a series of interconnected cogs that magnify the spinning motion. This enables a second shaft to spin many times faster than the first. A set of copper-wire coils is attached to the high-speed shaft. The shaft and coils spin within a circle of magnets, generating electricity. The electricity flows through power cables to a transformer, which converts the electricity into the necessary voltage, and then into the electrical grid. Most turbines rotate on a horizontal shaft, with blades that turn in a vertical plane. However, there are also vertical-axis wind turbines. Blades on those machines move in a horizontal plane and can take advantage of wind from different directions. Vertical-axis wind turbines generate relatively little power and can become unstable as winds grow stronger. The larger the area that is swept by the blades, the more power that can be generated. Doubling the blade length generates four times as much power. In addition, tall turbines with horizontal shafts tend to produce more power because they reach higher in the atmosphere, where wind blows more strongly. As a result, turbines have become increasingly large. The largest blades are half the length of a football field or even longer; the tallest turbines generally reach more than 400 feet above the ground. Even a relatively small change in the wind can have a significant effect on the amount of electricity generated. Energy increases by the cube of the wind speed, which means that a doubling of wind produces eight times more power. However, at very high wind speeds typically between 45 and 80 miles per hour turbines have an automatic shutdown mechanism that prevents the blades from becoming damaged. Because the size of the turbine largely determines the amount of electricity that it can generate, small-scale turbines have limContinued from p. 298

ited applications. A turbine with a rotor assembly a central hub and blades spanning three feet from tip to tip can generate about one-half a kilowatt per hour, which is enough to charge batteries in boats, vans, and other low-power vehicles. Supplying the power needs of an average-size house can require a rotor assembly spanning about 10 to 15 feet, mounted 30 feet high or more to catch stronger winds. Residential wind turbines exist, but they are of limited practicality because of their size requirements. In theory, a wind turbine can convert a maximum of about 60 percent of the winds kinetic energy into electricity. The most efficient turbines are closing in on the 50 percent mark, which means there is a limited amount of additional energy that a turbine can produce unless it is built much larger. Engineers are focusing on capturing more energy from the wind by looking at how arrays of turbines are organized. As wind moves through a wind farm, the front row of turbines extract about half the kinetic energy, leaving relatively little energy for downwind turbines to capture a problem known as wind shade. For that reason, turbines need to be spaced far apart, which makes it difficult to capture large amounts of energy in a small space. Rather than arranging turbines in straight lines or rectangles, as is often the case with wind farms, researchers are studying whether other formations, such as triangles or beehive shapes, would be more productive. They are also looking into coordinating the movements of turbines to ensure that each turbine captures as much energy as possible. Perhaps there is a coordinated control system that can do better where upwind machines back off a little bit while the downwind ones collect more, instead of the simplistic approach where its every man for himself, explains Fort Felker, director of the National Wind Technology Center, part of the Department of Energys National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. The way engineering works is [that] its often a succession of 1 percent improvements. You keep that up for 10 or 20 years, and youre looking at real changes. David Hosansky

eminent-domain power to build pipelines, and nuclear power plants enjoy partial immunity from lawsuits, they point out. Weve had decades of incentives that have skewed the market toward natural gas and other fossil fuels. Nuclear has also benefited, says Deyette of the Union of Concerned Scien-

tists. I see a renewable electricity standard as helping to level the playing field. Whether a renewable energy standard or a permanent production tax credit would put the various energy industries on equal footing is a complicated question to answer. Coal and natural gas companies say they are at a disadvantage because they are far

more regulated than wind- and other renewable-energy producers. Wind companies respond that decades of government support for traditional fuel sources have entrenched those industries, making it even more important for the government to help emerging technologies gain traction. Some analysts say the best policy would be to end all incentives and let

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competition work its will. It will give us the most robust energy market in the end when you have the various technologies competing on their attributes, says Simmons.

Growth in Wind Power Slow in 2010


Wind-power capacity of more than 5,000 megawatts was added in the U.S. in 2010, about half the amount in 2009. The decline in new installations ran counter to the past decades upward trend.
(in megawatts)

BACKGROUND
Sails and Windmills
umans have turned to the wind for power ever since they hoisted the first sails at least 7,500 years ago in Egypt and Sumer. The Greek engineer Heron of Alexandria designed a wind wheel in the first century A.D. the earliest known effort to use wind for powering a machine. Persians built a type of windmill known as a panemone sometime between 500 and 900 A.D. It comprised a vertical shaft attached to lightweight wooden blades that had sails made of reeds or cloth. These early windmills, which first came into use in a region between Iran and Afghanistan, were used initially to pump water and later to grind grain. Within a few centuries, windmills of various designs and with either vertical or horizontal shafts were built across the Middle East and Central Asia and eventually in India, China and Europe. They were used for grinding grain, draining land, pumping fresh water or saltwater to make salt, threshing, powering sawmills and other purposes. Windmills had several advantages over water-driven mills. They did not have to be located adjacent to fastmoving streams, and they could operate when water might freeze. Some windmills were built in a fixed position to take advantage of prevailing winds, such as on islands where wind direction was relatively predictable. Others were designed to swivel according to wind direction, a critical requirement in a region such as north-

12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0

Annual U.S. Wind-Power Growth, 2000-2010


5,258

10,010 8,366 5,115

67

1,691

412

1,670

2,385 2,462 397

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Source: U.S. Wind Industry Year-End 2010 Market Report, American Wind Energy Association, January 2011, www.awea.org/learnabout/publications/loader.cfm?cs DigitalStock Module=security/getle&PageID=5083

western Europe where winds are variable. Inventors gradually improved windmill designs, developing models with up to eight sails that generated more power than those with four sails and creating windmills that adjusted automatically to different wind speeds. During the Industrial Revolution, steam and internal-combustion engines largely supplanted traditional windmills, but society still found new uses for wind energy. For example, windmills pumped water for steam locomotives, a major factor in the expansion of rail systems. And as Americans plowed the Midwest and Great Plains, farmers used an estimated several million small windmills to operate irrigation pumps. Winds remarkable power in the atmosphere accounts for the enduring popularity of windmills. The ultimate driver of wind is energy from the sun, which heats the atmosphere unevenly depending on such factors as latitude, season, time of day and whether the air being warmed is over land or water. Air that grows hotter expands and rises, and heavier, cooler air rushes in to fill the space it occupied. This moving air is wind. Large-scale wind patterns are influenced by the Earths rotation, which

causes air to circulate around regions of high and low pressure. Daily wind movements, which can be extraordinarily difficult to predict, are determined by such factors as the movement of high- and low-pressure systems and local topography, with the strongest breezes tending to occur in mountainous regions, high, open land and coastal areas.

Harnessing Electricity

lthough modern wind turbines began to emerge in the 1970s, they have been used to generate electricity since the late 19th century. Ohio inventor Charles F. Brush built the first large windmill for electricity in the United States in 1887. Made from 144 cedar blades, it could generate 12 kilowatts for batteries or his mansions lights. Soon after, Danish meteorologist Poul la Cour found that fast-moving rotors with fewer blades could generate more power. By the 1930s, farmers who had no other access to electricity were using small multi-bladed turbines, which were relatively inexpensive and easy to build. On the eve of World War II, the worlds first megawatt turbine a

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large machine with 98-foot blades began delivering electricity to a local grid in Vermont. Turbine use declined in the postwar era as the United States and other countries began building national power grids, taking advantage of relatively low coal and natural gas prices and newly developed nuclear technology. With the electrification of rural areas, windmills largely fell into disuse. But in the mid-1970s, Arab nations imposed an oil embargo on the United States in retaliation for U.S. support of Israel, and oil supplies fell sharply while prices skyrocketed. 18 Concerns about access to traditional fuel sources spurred new interest in wind and other alternative power sources. California provided tax incentives for wind power, sparking the first major development of wind farms for electric utilities. These turbines, somewhat primitive by todays standards, were placed by the thousands in wind farms such as those in the Altamont Pass. By 1986, California had installed nearly 1.2 gigawatts of wind power, which at the time represented nearly 90 percent of global windenergy capacity. But the expiration in the mid-1980s of the states tax incentives (along with the expiration of a similar federal initiative in 1985) brought new installations to a halt.

Getty Images/Scott Olson

Getty Images/Ethan Miller

Growth in Europe

Consider the Alternatives


The nations renewable-energy toolkit includes more than just wind power. About one-third of U.S. renewable energy comes from hydropower. Nevadas Hoover Dam provides electricity for Nevada, Arizona and several cities in Southern California, plus water for irrigation (top). A small amount of renewable energy comes from solar power. On Chicagos South Side, more than 32,000 solar panels generate enough electricity for 1,500 homes.

everal European countries, including Denmark and Germany, enacted ambitious renewable-energy policies and took the lead in wind-farm development. By 2000, Europe had more than 12 gigawatts of capacity, compared with 2.5 in the United States. Interest in wind energy spurred considerable technological development on both sides of the Atlantic. In the 1980s and 90s engineers developed many innovations currently used in multi-megawatt turbines, including
Continued on p. 304

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Storing Energy for a Rainy Day


Technology is providing new ways to deal with peaks in power demand.
Engineers are studying an alternative storage technology: speonsider the humble flywheel: Ever since the Bronze Age, wheels of one form or another, such as spinning cialized batteries that can hold large amounts of energy overnight wheels and potters wheels, have been used to keep and release it during the day. Conventional lead-acid batteries are motion constant during certain mechanical activities. Today the too expensive and dont last long enough, so research is focusheavy flywheel in a car engine helps keep the crankshaft turn- ing on batteries with other chemical combinations. For example, giant sodium-sulfur batteries the size of a double-wide trailer are ing at a constant speed. Now the flywheel is being used for a different purpose: stor- being tested at several wind farms. They offer the advantage of ing energy to stabilize the output from electrical grids especial- storing large amounts of energy that is released at a comparatively efficient rate, but they remain very expensive. ly grids that rely on intermittent sources of energy such as wind. Engineers are also exploring ways to store energy in other ways, What flywheel systems can do 24/7 is act as shock absorbers to the grid, says Gene Hunt, director of corporate com- such as by creating reservoirs of compressed air in underground cavities. The air is used to spin the turbine munications for Beacon Power Corp., on a generator when electricity is needed. a Tyngsboro, Mass., company that is One of the key challenges to overnight developing flywheels for utilities. They storage systems is the cost. Whereas a new allow you to maintain as close a balgas-fired power plant can generate elecance in the demand and supply of tricity for about $600 to $1,200 per kiloelectricity as possible. watt, a battery that offers eight hours of Beacon Power is finishing constorage would likely cost $4,000 or more, struction on a 20-megawatt energysays Paul Denholm, a senior energy anastorage facility in Stephentown, N.Y., lyst at the National Renewable Energy Labthat uses 200 flywheels to store oratory. A 2008 report by the American Inelectricity from wind or other sources stitute of Chemical Engineers estimated that in the form of kinetic energy and reit could cost more than $340 billion to delease it to the grid when needed. velop mass-energy storage systems if reThe flywheels spin at 16,000 rotanewable energy were to supply 20 percent tions per minute. By releasing enerof the nations energy needs. 1 gy to the grid for as long as 15 minutes, they can temporarily regulate Unless technological innovations can sigthe frequency of electrical power if nificantly reduce the cost of such storage demand or supply suddenly change. systems, experts say utilities that are inteLena Hansen of the Rocky Mountain Flywheels are at the forefront of a grating more renewable energy will try to Institute views electricity storage as a key wave of technological innovation derely on other methods for meeting peak challenge for the wind-energy industry. signed to address a major concern electrical demand. In addition to using flyabout wind energy: its intermittency, or unreliability. If engineers wheels, they can manage demand by reimbursing residents who can develop economical systems to store energy when the wind reduce their electrical use during peak times by using systems to is blowing and release it to the grid when winds are calm, the cycle air conditioning on and off or setting dishwashers to run late changeable nature of wind would no longer represent a serious at night. Utilities can also trade electricity more broadly, meeting a obstacle to integrating large amounts of wind into electrical grids. spike in demand in one region with extra supply from another. While the flywheels are designed to provide a cushion of But overnight storage will likely continue to get considera few minutes while traditional power plants ramp up, much able interest. of todays research focuses on storing energy overnight and reOne of the biggest constraints for the system now is the inleasing it during peak demand times during the day. ability to store electricity, says Lena Hansen, an expert on renewFor decades, utilities have stored comparatively small amounts able energy and biofuels at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a reof energy the old-fashioned way by pumping water uphill search group in Colorado. Electricity storage would be game-changing. from one reservoir to another with surplus electricity. When that David Hosansky energy is needed during the day, the water is released downhill to flow through a turbine the modern version of the water1 Bernard Lee and David Gushee, Massive Electricity Storage, American wheel on an old gristmill creating electricity. Although such a Institute of Chemical Engineers, June 2008, www.aiche.org/uploadedFiles/ system works well, constructing additional reservoirs would in- About/DepartmentUploads/PDFs/MES%20White%20Paper%20submittal%20to% 20GRC%206-2008.pdf. volve significant costs and extended environmental reviews.
Rocky Mountain Institute

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Continued from p. 302

blades made of fiberglass and other materials and sophisticated controls to better capture wind gusts. In 1998, turbines had an average capacity of seven to 10 times the capacity of those in the1980s, and costs had dropped nearly 80 percent. 19 By the first decade of the 21st century, increasingly durable and powerful turbines could generate as much as five megawatts apiece on land; offshore turbines approached the 10-megawatt level. With individual turbines nearing maximum efficiency, engineers and scientists began focusing more on such issues as arranging arrays of turbines to make maximum use of winds, improving wind forecasting and using remote-sensing technology to automatically reposition blades to take better advantage of gusts. Such research can help wind farms generate more power in low-wind situations. Over the past decade, concerns about climate change, energy security and the long-term availability of fossil fuels have spurred rapid expansion of wind and other forms of renewable energy in the United States and overseas. The U.S. wind-power industry expanded by as much as 50 percent annually, increasing capacity from 2.5 gigawatts in 2000 to about 40 at the end of 2010. 20 Much of the expansion stemmed from the enactment of renewableenergy standards by more than two dozen states, beginning with Iowa in 1983. The federal production tax credit, first enacted in 1992 as part of comprehensive energy legislation, has also spurred wind-farm development although its expiration in 1999 and again in 2003 caused sporadic growth. In 2005, the United States re-established itself as the world leader in wind-energy capacity, only to lose the title last year to China, which is aggressively turning to wind to help meet its fast-growing energy needs.

Wind Supplies Tiny Slice of U.S. Energy


Wind power and other renewable-energy sources supplied less than 10 percent of U.S. energy in 2009. Most of the renewable energy came from hydroelectric and biomass sources, with small amounts produced by wind, solar and geothermal power. More than 80 percent of the nations electricity came from oil, natural gas and coal.

Sources of the Nations Energy Supply, 2009


Renewable Nuclear

8% 9% 21%
Coal Petroleum

37%

Natural Gas

25%

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, August, 2010, www. eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/renew_ energy_consump/rea_prereport.html

Although wind energy is generally popular in Europe, its increased use has spurred controversy, especially over wind turbines in scenic areas and the cost of new transmission lines. Moreover, concerns have arisen over high residential electricity rates stemming partly from wind-energy subsidies, especially in Denmark. As wind developers begin running out of optimal sites on land, they are looking into more offshore locations where turbine towers can be secured to the sea bottom. Offshore wind farms present greater engineering challenges and are more expensive to build and maintain than those on land. But winds over the water are comparatively reliable and contain less turbulence, which allows the turbines to extract more energy. Furthermore, offshore turbines can support larger blades and thereby generate more power. Europe has emerged as a center for offshore development, partly because it has limited sites for landbased wind farms. The United States has yet to construct an offshore wind farm. But a number of projects are under consideration, and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last year approved development of the Cape Wind project off Cape Cod, a proposed 130-turbine wind farm that has faced vigorous local opposition because of potential visual and environmental impacts on Nantucket Sound. (See sidebar, p. 295.)

European countries, seeking to cut carbon-dioxide emissions, continue to use tax incentives and renewableenergy goals to promote wind energy. Wind accounts for 24 percent of electricity use in Denmark, 14.4 percent in Spain, 14.8 percent in Portugal, 9.4 percent in Germany and 10.1 percent in the Irish Republic. 21 Gains have required creative approaches to the grid. Denmark, for example, sometimes exports energy to its neighbors and sometimes imports it, depending on fluctuations in winds.

CURRENT SITUATION
White House Support

n this years State of the Union address, President Obama set a goal of
Continued on p. 306

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At Issue:
Should the federal government do more to support wind energy?
yes

CEO, AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION


WRITTEN FOR CQ RESEARCHER, APRIL 2011

DENISE BODE

DIRECTOR OF STATE AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS, INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY RESEARCH

DANIEL SIMMONS

ind power is here. Today wind power is a major, mainstream source of electricity that successfully competes in all ways with any of the more traditional sources of energy. Wind power, for example, competes on size. This safe, inexhaustible resource accounts for 35 percent of all new electricity generation since 2007 more than coal and nuclear combined. Wind power also competes on cost. New wind installations beat new coal and nuclear plants on electricity cost and are competitive with natural gas. Thus, no technological advances are needed to bring wind power into the mainstream. It already is. Still, policy incentives are needed but only to level the playing field. The Congressional Research Service notes that for more than 90 years, fossil-fuel industries have been receiving subsidies via generous tax breaks. They are seldom debated or, for that matter, heard of, because they are permanent. Examining the issue during the Bush administration, the Government Accountability Office concluded that fossil fuels continue to receive nearly five times the tax incentives as renewable energy. Moreover, on top of direct subsidies, fossil fuels cost Americans $120 billion annually in health damages, according to a National Academy of Sciences report commissioned by the Bush administration. Wind power, meanwhile, has had to compete despite receiving only one- and two-year policy extensions. Yet the industry already boasts 85,000 jobs and 400 manufacturing plants in the United States making the wind-power industry one of the fastest-growing manufacturing sectors in America. Strong policy support for fossil fuels during the last century helped create an abundance of affordable domestic energy, powering strong economic growth. It also created an addiction to fossil fuels. But rising demand, volatile prices and instability overseas have created the need for a more diverse energy supply. With wind power, utilities can lock in power prices with 20-year contracts, providing a hedge against fuel-price increases and volatility. Wind is a fuel, and its free. America boasts some of the worlds best wind resources. Theres enough wind-energy potential to power this land 10 times over. Iowa already makes 15 percent of its electricity from wind, and soon winds share will be 20 percent. In 2008, the Department of Energy confirmed what the industry already knew that wind can provide 20 percent of the nations electricity by 2030. The industry is anxious to meet that benchmark. It just needs a little policy stability to do so.
no

yes no
t
April 1, 2011

WRITTEN FOR CQ RESEARCHER, APRIL 2011

here is no justification for increasing support for wind. It is time that wind pulls its own weight instead of relying on taxpayers dollars and pleading for additional subsidies and mandates. Wind proponents argue that wind is not a mature technology and should therefore receive subsidies, set-asides and preferential treatment from the government. This argument ignores the fact that wind energy has been used for more than 7,000 years. It also ignores the fact that wind has been used to produce electricity for over 120 years. In fact, coal has been used to make electricity for only five years longer than wind. Wind may not seem like a mature technology because it is unreliable. People switched away from wind to other sources of energy such as coal, hydroelectric, natural gas and petroleum because the wind doesnt always blow, and these other sources could be counted upon. For example, shipping became much more reliable when vessels switched from sails to coal power. Wind proponents also argue that their industry should receive support because wind energy could reduce Americas imports of oil. This is unlikely because wind produces electricity while cars and trucks run on gasoline and diesel. Electric vehicles might reduce oil consumption, but they are not competitive with gas and diesel vehicles. Nissan has sold only 173 Leafs, and Chevy has sold 928 Volts. These anemic sales should improve, but electric cars are very expensive and lack the range of conventional vehicles. For over 100 years, people have been trying to build electric vehicles that are competitive with conventional vehicles. They have yet to succeed. The wind lobby also argues that wind should receive subsidies because conventional fuels do. While fossil fuels receive larger total subsidies, if the comparison is made on a per-unitof-energy-output basis, wind subsidies dwarf conventional energy subsidies. According to the Energy Information Administration, total federal subsidies for wind-generated electricity for fiscal 2007 were $23.37 per megawatt hour, compared to $1.59 for nuclear, 44 cents for coal and 25 cents for natural gas and petroleum liquids. Our energy and fiscal situation would be improved if we removed all energy subsidies. Wind energy does not merit increased government support. Federal policies have supported wind power for decades despite the fact that it is inefficient and unreliable. Wind is a mature energy technology. Its time that it starts acting like it.

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Continued from p. 304 to ensure that a percentage of the nations energy generating 80 percent comes from renewable of the nations energy sources perhaps by infrom so-called cleancluding a specific target energy sources by 2035. within the broader clean Some folks want wind energy goal. Or, alternaand solar, Obama said. tively, would the legislaOthers want nuclear, tion allow natural gas and clean coal and natural coal to continue to domgas. To meet this goal, inate electricity markets, we will need them all which the wind industry and I urge Democargues could prevent wind rats and Republicans to from expanding? work together to make Whether Congress it happen. 22 looks at the renewableFrom the viewpoint energy standard or the of wind and other reclean-energy standard, they newable-energy indusshould be focused on entries, the proposal suring diversity in our enmarked a strategic reergy portfolio, says Gramtreat. The House in 2009 lich of the American Wind voted to require that Energy Association. A big 20 percent of the napart of their responsibility tions energy come from is to avoid fuel-price volatilrenewable sources by ity. Wind can offer a stable 2020, and the Senate Enprice, but Im not aware of ergy and Natural Reany non-renewable sources sources Committee apthat can do the same. proved a 15 percent While the presidents prorenewable-energy stanposal for a clean-energy standard that would have dard is likely to generate taken effect in 2021. Neidebate over the nations enther proposal, howevWind turbines tower over a farmhouse in rural northern Illinois. ergy future, it appears to er, reached Obamas The battle between operators of wind farms and residents trying face long odds in the curdesk before Congress to stop their development is reaching a crescendo in Wisconsin, rent Congress. A number of adjourned, largely bewhere the wind industry says proposed statewide standards for Democrats greeted Obamas cause of bitter debate in locating turbines will stymie their construction. Some homeowners say the flickering shadows and noise from plan with enthusiasm, but Congress over climategiant turbines are so distracting that they want to Republicans argued that a change legislation. sell their houses if they can and move. federal standard could drive By broadening the up electricity rates and unproposed energy standard to include nuclear, natural gas with the investment firm Sanford C. duly favor one energy sector over anand clean coal, Obama hoped to draw Bernstein & Co. But, Singh adds, The other. Leaving such mandates to the support from those industries cru- standard thats proposed is very states would be wiser, they said. A clean-energy standard is better cial to his energy agenda given the amorphous right now. Its a big picsharply conservative tilt of Congress ture. A lot of work needs to go into than a renewable-energy standard or defining clean energy. one that picks and chooses among the following the 2010 elections. The wind industry, which prefers a kinds of energy, said Sen. Lamar AlexanObamas broadened the constituency by proposing a clean-energy renewable-energy standard, is respond- der, R-Tenn. But I would prefer to let standard, and that might help his ing cautiously until more details of the states make these decisions. 23 Added Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman plan get more support, says Saurabh plan emerge. A major issue is whether Singh, a senior research associate a standard would include provisions of the House Energy and Commerce

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Getty Images/Scott Olson

Committee, energy independence is not achieved through government dependence. 24 In addition to a clean-energy standard, the wind industry is keeping a close eye on federal incentives, such as the production tax credit for renewable energy. Last extended as part of an economic stimulus plan in 2010, the credit will expire next year. A top priority for the wind industry is making the credit permanent, or at least passing a long-term extension. All the traditional energy sources have their support permanently, but wind only has it for a year or two, says Gates of Clipper Windpower. The uncertainty over the tax credit has a negative effect on the business and . . . long-term job growth. The wind industry is concerned that allowing the tax credit to expire would stunt new investment. Over the last decade, the industry has experienced boom-and-bust cycles, with growth plummeting by 70 to 90 percent in years such as 2004 after the tax credit was allowed to expire. Given congressional concerns over the budget deficit, however, analysts warn that a renewal of the production tax credit is far from certain. When we go into the expiration at the end of 2012, were going to have a very difficult debate, says Christine Tezak, senior energy and policy analyst at the international investment firm Robert W. Baird & Co. It will be very challenging for the industry. As for the desire to make the production tax credit permanent, she says flatly, A permanent extension is a dream too far.

cerned that proposed statewide standards for selecting locations for turbines will make it virtually impossible to build new wind farms and may energize wind opponents in other states. Local officials in Wisconsin, as in many other states, have the authority to determine how close a wind turbine may be built to a house or property line. This has led to a conflicting set of rules, with residents worried that wind farms are encroaching on farms and subdivisions. Some homeowners say the flickering shadows and noise from giant turbines is so distracting that they want to sell

against the wind industry, erupted in December when Wisconsins Public Service Commission approved rules that, among other things, prevent local governments from requiring wind turbines to be built more than 1,250 feet from a house. The wind industry viewed the new rules as a model for replacing a confusing and often shifting patchwork of city and county regulations with a single, predictable statewide standard. But the new setback standard drew sharp criticism from property owners. Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed much a stricter standard, barring tur-

Residents have indicated that the turbines that are located too close to homes can have an adverse impact on their health everything from high anxiety levels to high blood pressure to rapid heart rate.
Tom Larson Director of Legal and Public Affairs, Wisconsin Realtors Association

Not in My Backyard

he battle between energy companies that want to install new wind farms and residents trying to stop development is reaching a crescendo in Wisconsin. The wind industry is con-

their houses and move. But that can be difficult. Nearby turbines can drive down property values by 40 percent, according to the Wisconsin Realtors Association. Residents have indicated that the turbines that are located too close to homes can have an adverse impact on their health everything from high anxiety levels to high blood pressure to rapid heart rate, says Tom Larson, chief lobbyist and director of legal and public affairs for the association. He adds that flickering shadows from the turbines are like the Bat-signal [for Batman] right on your house, constantly. Its a big deal. They [the turbines] are monsters. The debate over wind-turbine setbacks, which pits property owners

bines from being built within 1,800 feet of a property line. The situation is now in limbo. A joint legislative committee voted March 1 to suspend the rules, giving local governments, at least temporarily, the power to establish setbacks on a case-by-case basis. Meanwhile, lawmakers are considering a bill to give the Public Service Commission seven months to revise the rules. If Walkers proposal were adopted, that would be pretty devastating, says Gramlich of the American Wind Energy Association. He warns that the requirements are so strict that wind developers would be unable to build new wind farms in Wisconsin.

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WIND POWER
Some worry that Wisconsins approach, if adopted in other states, could prevent the nation from expanding its wind-energy capabilities. Larson says Wisconsin has become a national battleground on the issue. Weve seen a lot of involvement from national organizations, he says. He worries that unless the two sides are able to reach a compromise, the controversy will continue to roil the state. I think therell be lawsuits, he says. I think itll be a mess. of people and companies, and I dont think Republicans want to support a big program right now, he says. Without a boost in government support, the short-term outlook for the U.S. wind industry is uncertain. It faces two challenges: Demand for new energy has declined because of the economic downturn, and natural gas prices are at unusually low levels making gas an attractive alternative to wind. As a result, new wind installations in 2010 were only half the level of 2009. (See graph, p. 301.) China likely installed three times as much new wind capacity as the United States in 2010, and Europe twice as much. 25 In addition to the competition with traditional fuel sources, wind may soon face increased competition from solar energy. Singh says technical innovations could start driving down solar prices in the next five years. And solar offers some advantages over wind: Rooftop photovoltaic cells reduce the need for transmission lines, and energy from the sun tends to correspond with peak consumer demand. Singh says that wind may eventually account for about 10 percent of the nations electricity consumption, but much higher than that is unlikely. Wind will definitely have decent growth rates. But I think the growth rates over time will become less than solar. Industry executives, however, are more bullish on winds long-term prospects. Gates of Clipper Windpower believes that the peak growth years of the last decade, in which the wind industry added as much as 10 gigawatts of capacity, may be hard to replicate. But he sees steady growth of about 5 gigawatts yearly. The industry has potential, he says. The world needs more electricity. It needs more generation of every type. Some renewable-energy advocates envision a future in which wind plays a vital role in meeting the worlds energy needs. They believe technological innovations, such as storing surplus wind energy in giant batteries and using wind power to fuel electric cars, can, along with conservation and other renewable sources, eventually make fossil fuels virtually obsolete. Although supporters and skeptics may disagree over the extent to which wind farms may help to power America, both sides agree that there is no shortage of wind energys key ingredient. As Paul Denholm, a senior energy analyst at the National Renewable Energy Lab puts it, In terms of the raw resource, theres plenty there.

OUTLOOK
Delicate Circumstances

t seems unlikely that the federal government will adopt a clean-energy standard any time soon, analysts say. Congress is too focused on other highly contentious issues, such as cutting the budget and rolling back regulations. The big challenge for a [clean energy standard] is that right now the stars are not particularly aligned for it, says Baird & Co.s Tezak. She gives it a slight chance of passing, especially if supporters try to attach it to a larger energy measure. But, she adds, that is one delicate set of circumstances. Investment analyst Singh is even more dubious. I think the chances of Obamas clean-energy standard passing in the near term are effectively zero because its going to be a pretty ambitious target thats going to affect a lot

Notes
Quoted in Andrea Thompson, First U.S. Town Powered Completely By Wind, Live Science, July 15, 2008, www.livescience.com/ 2704-town-powered-completely-wind.html. 2 For background, see the following CQ Researcher reports: Jennifer Weeks, Modernizing the Grid, Feb. 19, 2010, pp. 145-168; Marcia Clemmitt, Energy and Climate, July 24, 2009, pp. 621-644; and Barbara Mantel, Energy Efficiency, May 19, 2006, pp. 433-456. 3 Statistics for wind and other energy sources in the United States from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Industry 2009: Year in Review, revised Jan. 4, 2011, www. eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epa_sum.html. Statistics for Iowa from the Iowa Policy Project, Think Wind Power, Think Iowa, March 2010, www.iowapolicyproject.org/2010docs/100303IPP-wind.pdf. 4 John Lorinc, Study Suggests Wind Power Potential Is Much Higher Than Current Estimates, The New York Times, July 16, 2009, http:// green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/studysuggests-wind-power-potential-is-much-higherthan-current-estimates/; and Marc Schwartz, Donna Heimiller, Steve Haymes and Walt Musial, Assessment of Offshore Wind Ener1

About the Author


David Hosansky is a freelance writer in the Denver area who specializes in environmental issues. He previously was a senior writer at CQ Weekly and the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, where he was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. His previous CQ Researcher reports include Food Safety and Youth Suicide.

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gy Resources in the United States, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, June 2010, www. nrel.gov/news/press/2010/885.html. 5 Non-fossil fuels to take up 11.4% of Chinas energy, China Daily, March 4, 2011, www.china daily.com.cn/bizchina/2011-03/04/content_12 117490.htm. 6 Wind industry finishes 2010 with half the installations of 2009, activity up in 2011, now cost-competitive with natural gas, American Wind Energy Association, Jan. 24, 2011, www. awea.org/newsroom/pressreleases/release_0124-11.cfm. 7 Wind Power in Americas Future: 20% Wind Energy by 2030, U.S. Department of Energy, 2008, p. 20, www1.eere.energy.gov/windand hydro/pdfs/41869.pdf. 8 Wind turbine capacity is given in ibid., p. 221; capacity for other energy sources is provided by U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Annual, revised Jan. 4, 2011, www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epaxlfile 5_2.pdf. 9 Wind Power in Americas Future, ibid., p. 95. 10 U.S. Poll Shows Wind Works for Americans, American Wind Energy Association, April 22, 2010, http://archive.awea.org/news room/releases/04-22-10_Poll_Shows_Wind_ Works_for_Americans.html. 11 Wind Power: Impacts on Wildlife and Government Responsibilities for Regulating Development and Protecting Wildlife, U.S. General Accounting Office, September 2005, p. 2, www.gao.gov/new.items/d05906.pdf. 12 Quoted in Maria Glod, Court constricts W. Va. wind farm to protect bats, The Washington Post, Dec. 10, 2009, www.washington post.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/09/ AR2009120904106.html. 13 U.S. General Accounting Office, op. cit. 14 Ibid., p. 19. 15 Robert Bryce, Power Hungry: The Myths of Green Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future (2010), p. 84. 16 How Less Became More: Wind, Power and Unintended Consequences in the Colorado Energy Market, Bentek Energy, April 16, 2010, p. 9, www.bentekenergy.com/documents/ben tek_how_less_became_more_100420-319.pdf. 17 By Meeting Renewable Energy Goal 15 Years Ahead of Schedule, Texas Shows Policies Work, Public Citizen, April 6, 2010, http://texasvox. org/2010/04/06/by-meeting-renewable-energygoal-15-years-ahead-of-schedule-texas-showspolicies-work/. 18 For background, see Peter Katel, Oil Jitters, CQ Researcher, Jan. 4, 2008, pp. 1-24.

FOR MORE INFORMATION


American Wind Energy Association, 1501 M St., N.W., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 383-2500; www.awea.org. National trade association representing windpower project developers, suppliers, service providers and others in the wind industry. Cape Wind, 75 Arlington St., Suite 704, Boston, MA 02116; (617) 904-3100; www.capewind.org. Wind farm proposed in Nantucket Sound; potential to become first offshore wind-energy project in U.S. coastal waters. Clean Energy Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada; (604) 827-4342; www.cerc.ubc.ca. Seeks to reduce the environmental impact of energy use. Energize Vermont, P.O. Box 605, Rutland, VT 05702; (802) 778-0660; www.energize vermont.org. Advocates for renewable energy in Vermont. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20585; (202) 586-8800; www.eia.doe.gov. Statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. European Wind Energy Association, Rue dArlon 80, 1040 Brussels, Belgium; 32-2-213-1811; www.ewea.org. Promotes use of wind power across Europe. Global Wind Energy Council, Rue dArlon 80, 1040 Brussels, Belgium; 32-2-2131897; www.gwec.net. Trade association for the international wind-energy industry. Institute for Energy Research, 1100 H St., N.W., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 621-2950; www.instituteforenergyresearch.org. Conducts research and analysis on the functions, operations and regulations of global energy markets. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401; (303) 275-3000; www.nrel.gov. The United States primary laboratory for renewable-energy and energy-efficiency research and development. Nature Conservancy, 4245 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203; (703) 841-5300; www.nature.org. Opposes many wind-turbine development projects because of potential environmental consequences. Public Citizen, 1600 20th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20009; (202) 588-1000; www.citizen.org. Consumer advocacy group lobbying for renewable-energy standards. Rocky Mountain Institute, 1820 Folsom St., Boulder, CO 80302; (303) 245-1003; www.rmi.org. Think tank focusing on efficient use of natural resources. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge, MA 02138; (617) 5475552; www.ucsusa.org. Advocacy group whose focus includes environmental issues.
Wind Power in Americas Future, op. cit., p. 6. 20 Wind Powering America, Department of Energy Wind and Water Power Program, www. windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_installed_ capacity.asp. 21 Wind in Power: 2010 European Statistics, European Wind Energy Association, February 2011, www.ewea.org/fileadmin/ewea_documents/ documents/statistics/EWEA_Annual_Statistics_ 2010.pdf. 22 White House press office, www.whitehouse.
19

gov/the-press-office/2011/01/25/remarks-presi dent-state-union-address. 23 Darren Goode, State of the Union 2011: Key senators laud Obama clean energy push, Politico, Jan. 16, 2011, www.politico.com/news/ stories/0111/48209.html#ixzz1GVTCjN1H. 24 Ibid. 25 U.S. Wind Industry: 2010 Year in Review, Sustainable Business, Jan. 7, 2011, www.sustain ablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/ id/21684.

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Bibliography
Selected Sources
Books
Bryce, Robert, Power Hungry: The Myths of Green Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future, Public Affairs, 2010. A veteran energy journalist presents an engaging but highly critical look at sustainable-energy technologies, including wind. Evans, Robert L., Fueling Our Future: An Introduction to Sustainable Energy, Cambridge University Press, 2007. The inaugural director of the Clean Energy Research Centre at the University of British Columbia gives a balanced look at sustainable energy. Goodall, Chris, Ten Technologies to Save the Planet, Greystone Books, 2008. An expert on climate change analyzes the potential of wind and other sustainable technologies to provide energy without high carbon-dioxide emission. Naff, Clay Farris, ed., Fueling the Future: Wind, Thomson Gale, 2007. A science writer presents opposing viewpoints about controversial aspects of wind energy, such as whether it can meet future energy demand in a cost-effective manner. Parks, Peggy, Wind Power, Reference Point Press, 2010. Parks offers a concise introduction to key wind-energy issues, with plentiful graphics and quotes from leading experts. McNulty, Sheila, Renewables in the US: uneven incentives hamper growth, Financial Times, Jan. 14, 2011, www.ft. com/cms/s/0/6f5e9afc-1f71-11e0-87ca-00144feab49a.html. McNulty explains how the U.S. wind industry is hampered by uncertainty over future government policies, such as tax breaks. Wald, Matthew L., Wind Energy Bumps into Power Grids Limits, The New York Times, April 27, 2008, www.nytimes. com/2008/08/27/business/27grid.html. Wald examines the extent to which the nations limited transmission system is holding back wind-energy development.

Reports
U.S. Wind Energy Year-End 2010 Market Report, American Wind Energy Association, January 2011, www.awea. org/learnabout/publications/loader.cfm?csModule=security/ getfile&PageID=5083. A trade association provides statistics on the state of the U.S. wind industry. Wind Power: Impacts on Wildlife and Government Responsibilities for Regulating Development and Protecting Wildlife, General Accounting Office, September 2005, www.gao.gov/new.items/d05906.pdf. The congressional watchdog group analyzes the potential impacts of wind farms on wildlife. Wind Power in Americas Future: 20% Wind Energy by 2030, U.S. Department of Energy, 2008, http://www1. eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/pdfs/41869.pdf. The federal agency examines the potential benefits of wind energy and the challenges of deriving 20 percent of the nations electricity from the renewable resource by 2030. Kreutzer, David, Karen Campbell, William Beach, Ben Lieberman and Nicolas Loris, A Renewable Electricity Standard: What It Will Really Cost Americans, Heritage Foundation, May 5, 2010, www.heritage.org/Research/ Reports/2010/05/A-Renewable-Electricity-Standard-WhatIt-Will-Really-Cost-Americans. A conservative think tank argues that a proposed federal renewable-energy standard would be highly expensive and endanger the economy. Logan, Jeffrey, and Stan Mark Kaplan, Wind Power in the United States: Technology, Economic, and Policy Issues, Congressional Research Service, June 20, 2008, accessed at http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34546_20080620.pdf. A concise and objective overview of the benefits and drawbacks of wind energy, focusing on technology, economics and policy issues.

Articles
Clayton, Mark, How Enormous Batteries Could Safeguard the Grid, The Christian Science Monitor, March 22, 2009, www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Responsible-Tech/2009/ 0322/how-enormous-batteries-could-safeguard-the-power-grid. Clayton offers a comprehensive look at batteries and other storage technologies that can boost efforts to integrate more wind energy into the electrical grid. Fahey, Jonathan, How Clean Is Obamas Clean Energy Standard? The Associated Press, Jan. 26, 2011, viewed at http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=12771095. Fahey analyzes the benefits and drawbacks of various energy sources, including wind, that may be included under a clean-energy standard. Gurwitt, Rob, Renewable energy industry shows surprising clout, Stateline, Jan. 4, 2011, www.stateline.org/live/ details/story?contentId=539044. Gurwitt provides a fascinating look at the wind industrys clout in influencing policy makers across the political spectrum.

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The Next Step:


Additional Articles from Current Periodicals
Developments
Bardin, Sharla, Pilot Project Uses the Power of Wind, Roanoke (Va.) Times, April 20, 2010, p. NRV4, www.roanoke. com/news/nrv/wb/243943. Virginia Tech researchers are working to install a wind turbine at the YMCA in Blacksburg, Va., to determine the feasibility of wind power in an urban environment. DeWitte, Dave, MidAmerican Energy to Add 258 Wind Turbines in 2011, The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Dec. 30, 2010, easterniowabusiness.com/2010/12/28/mid american-energy-to-add-258-wind-turbines-in-2011/. An energy company plans to increase the number of its wind turbines in Iowa, with a focus on environmental responsibility, reliability and price stability. Jurlina, Emily, Restaurant Takes Spin on the Green Side, Chicago Sun-Times, April 22, 2010, p. 19. A Chicago-area restaurant owner says he has realized his dream of going green after installing a wind turbine to provide electricity for his establishment. The push to develop wind power in Pennsylvania could wreak havoc on hundreds of acres of forest and disrupt critical natural habitats, according to the Nature Conservancy. Fallon, Scott, DEP Calls Turbine Risks Negligible, Herald News (Passaic County, N.J.), June 19, 2010, p. A3, www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodiesoffices-regional-local/15307906-1.html. New Jerseys Department of Environmental Protection says there would be negligible environmental consequences if the state decides to harness offshore wind power. Scott, Karen, Turbines on Poor Mountain Would Have Large Impact, Roanoke (Va.) Times, March 29, 2010, p. A11. Environmentalists say the development of wind turbines on a mountain in Virginia would lead to land clearing and soil erosion that would have negative consequences.

Regulations
Anderson, Jim, Afton Joins List of Cities Regulating Wind Turbines, Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minn.), July 25, 2010, p. B1, www.startribune.com/local/east/99182779.html?elr= KArks:DCiUtEia_nDaycUiacyKUUr. More and more cities in Minnesota are crafting regulations for wind turbines as the technology becomes more popular. Briggs, James, Legislative Winds in Wisconsin Could Blow Business to Illinois, Daily Reporter (Milwaukee), Jan. 25, 2011, dailyreporter.com/blog/2011/01/25/legisla tive-winds-could-blow-business-to-illinois/. New Wisconsin regulations restricting the development of wind turbines could lead companies that specialize in wind farms to bring more of their business to neighboring Illinois.

Energy Potential
Friedman, Matt, N.J. Stresses Winds Power Potential, The Record (Bergen County, N.J.), Dec. 2, 2010, p. A4. An advocacy group in New Jersey says commercially viable wind power off the states coast can generate electricity for all 3 million homes in the state. Lydersen, Kari,Green Living: Wind Turbines Power a Bronx Apartment Complex, The Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 7, 2010, www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0807/ Green-living-Wind-turbines-power-a-Bronx-apartmentcomplex. Ten wind turbines mounted atop an apartment complex in the Bronx, N.Y., generate enough power for all tenants when the wind blows steadily. Turmelle, Luther, Report: Offshore Wind Projects Could Power 1.5M Homes, New Haven (Conn.) Register, Dec. 2, 2010, p. D1, www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/12/07/busi ness/dd1_wind1202120710.txt. A report by several labor groups concludes that enough wind power exists off the New England coast to power about 1.5 million homes in the region.

CITING CQ RESEARCHER
Sample formats for citing these reports in a bibliography include the ones listed below. Preferred styles and formats vary, so please check with your instructor or professor.

MLA STYLE
Jost, Kenneth. Rethinking the Death Penalty. CQ Researcher 16 Nov. 2001: 945-68.

APA STYLE
Jost, K. (2001, November 16). Rethinking the death penalty. CQ Researcher, 11, 945-968.

Environmental Impact
Darragh, Tim, Study: Energy Push Has Cost to Nature, Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.), Nov. 16, 2010, p. A5, arti cles.mcall.com/2010-11-15/news/mc-allentown-drilling-wind20101115_1_natural-gas-marcellus-shale-coalition-naturaldiversity-inventory.

CHICAGO STYLE
Jost, Kenneth. Rethinking the Death Penalty. CQ Researcher, November 16, 2001, 945-968.

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In-depth Reports on Issues in the News


Are you writing a paper? Need backup for a debate? Want to become an expert on an issue?
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Environment/Society

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