Tax Credit to be Extended to Geothermal Energy
The Production Tax Credit (PTC) a critical factor in stimulating the growth of the US wind industry is very likely to be expanded to include geothermal energy as part of the JOBS tax package (H.R. 4520, the "American Jobs Creation Act of 2004") just approved by a Congressional Conference Committee.
OG&E Wind Power Program Marks 1-Year Anniversary; Recognized as One of the Most Successful...
Just one year after launching its wind power program, nearly 9,000 OG&E Electric Services (OGE) customers have subscribed. About one-third of the subscribers have 100 percent of their electricity generated by wind, making OG&E's program one of the leaders in the United States.
Gone With The Wind – Debunking Geographic Diversity
John Petersen Earlier this month I wrote a pair of articles (here and here) that questioned the reasonableness of the near universal assumption that the wind is always blowing somewhere and wind power infrastructure with a wide enough geographic dispersion would offer a relatively stable power output. I presented graphs from the Bonneville Power Administration and a study by the John Muir Trust that raised substantial doubt in my mind. The articles drew a well-reasoned response from my colleague Tom Konrad (here). While many commenters understood the point I was trying to make, many others argued that...
FPL Energy Begins Commercial Operation of Weatherford Wind Energy Center
FPL Group Inc (FPL) announced that it has begun commercial operation at its 106.5-megawatt (MW) Weatherford Wind Energy Center, located near Weatherford, Oklahoma, and plans to expand the project by 40.5 MW. This brings the total capacity of the Weatherford Wind Energy Center to 147 megawatts. Construction on the expansion will begin in the near future and is expected to be completed by year end.
List of Wind Power Manufacturing Stocks
Wind power manufacturing stocks are publicly traded companies whose business is involved in the development or manufacture of wind power equipment.
AB SKF (SKF-B.ST, SKFRY)
Broadwind Energy (BWEN)
China High Speed Transmission Equipment Group Co., Ltd. (0658.HK, CHSTF)
General Electric (GE)
Helix Wind, Corp. (HLXW)
Inox Wind Limited (INOXWIND.BO)
Nordex AG (NRDXF, NDX1.DE)
Sauer Energy, Inc. (SENY)
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (GCTAF, SGRE.MC)
Sif Holding NV (SIFG.AS)
Suzlon Energy Limited (SUZLON.BO)
Toray Industries, Inc (TRYIF, 3402.T)
TPI Composites, Inc. (TPIC)
Trinity Industries (TRN)
Vestas (VWS.CO, VWSYF, VWDRY)
Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co., Ltd. (2208.HK)
If you know of any wind power manufacturing stock that is not listed here, but which should be, please let us...
Another Reality Check for Wind Power Investors
John Petersen Last Wednesday I stirred up a hornets nest with an article titled "A Reality Check for Wind Power Investors" that included two graphs from the Bonneville Power Administration, or BPA, which manages a four state, 300,000 square mile service region that's home to over 40% of the installed hydro capacity and roughly 12% of the installed wind capacity in the US. The first graph tracks the BPA's regional load and power production from hydro, thermal and wind facilities over the last seven days and shows why the region is one of the largest power exporters...
Crude Oil & Alt Energy: The Non-Relationship That Just Won’t Go Away
Charles Morand The relationship - or lack thereof - between oil prices and the performance of alt energy stocks has been a long-time interest of mine. I discussed it last in late March when I looked at correlations between the daily returns of alt energy and fossil energy ETFs. At the time, I found that only a weak relationship existed between the two and that if someone wanted to make a thematic investment play on Peak Oil, alt energy ETFs were not an ideal way to do so. Seeing as the popular press and countless "experts"...
ENDESA Will Invest Euro 286 Million in New Wind Farms and Mini Hydro Plants...
ENDESA (ELE) has received authorisation to build and start up new wind farms and mini hydro plants this year, requiring an investment of Euro 286 million. The start-up of these projects, part of ENDESA's Strategic Plan, will add 277 MW to ENDESA's generation capacity, 252 MW in wind (for a Euro 250 million) and 25 MW in mini hydro capacity (for an investment of around Euro 60 million). Facilities already under construction and expected to come on stream in 2005 include the wind farms at Pena Ventosa and Chan do Tenon in Galicia, Las Hoyuelas in Castilla La...
BT gets behind renewable energy
British Telecom has announced a three-year plan to get all of its energy needs from renewable sources - the biggest such project in the world. The electricity used, worth hundreds of millions of pounds, could power a city the size of Nottingham. Renewable sources of energy include wind, wave and solar power, rather than using fossil fuels like oil or coal.
AMSC Consolidates US Wind Operations To Focus on Europe
Meg Cichon AMSC (NASD:AMSC) will shutter its manufacturing facility in Middleton, Wisconsin by the end of 2014, but hopes to fold its product development operations and employees that are willing to relocate into its headquarters in Devens, Massachusetts, which recently underwent a workforce reduction. While it consolidates its U.S. workforce, AMSC plans to open a new wind turbine controls manufacturing facility in Timisoara, Romania in 2014, which will serve all of its clients outside of China. Its Chinese facility will continue to cater solely to China customers. With this move, AMSC corporate communications manager Kerry Farrell said it has...
Ten Alternative Energy Speculations for 2008: Geothermal, Wind and Wave, and Thin Film Hype
This article is a continuation of my Ten Alternative Energy Speculations for 2008, with picks #8, 9, and10 published last Thursday. If you haven't already, please read the introduction to that article before buying any of the stock picks that follow. These companies are likely to be highly volatile, and large positions are not appropriate for many investors. My least risky picks are part of that same article linked to above; the moderately risky picks are here. This article contains the most speculative three picks. #3 Nevada Geothermal Power (OTCBB:NGLPF or Toronto:NGP.V) US$1.29 or CAD$1.26 Geothermal first started catching...
Western states take lead in the drive for renewable energy
The political climate for many of the western states are slowly starting to change to see the need for conversion to renewable energy sources. These test installations for Solar, Geothermal, and Wind energy are now producing real power for these areas. The key for us is to find the vendors that supply these installations. As the funding increases in these test beds, our growth will increase. Here is a good article from the sfgate.com about the various western states initiatives. "California's goal is to produce 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2017. New Mexico...
Maxwell Technologies Receives 1.5 Million-Unit Ultracapacitor Purchase Order From Enercon for Wind Energy Systems
Maxwell Technologies (MXWL) announced that Enercon GmbH has placed a 1.5 million-unit purchase order for ultracapacitors for wind turbine blade pitch systems. Enercon currently uses BOOSTCAP® ultracapacitors for backup energy storage and power delivery in wind turbines models ranging in output from 300 kW to 6 MW. Ulrich Neundlinger, Enercon's managing director of switching units, said that the company is expanding its use of ultracapacitors for blade pitch system backup power after initial deployments confirmed their significant advantages over traditional battery solutions.
PSE Announces Intent to Buy 220 Megawatts of Wind Power; Utility seeking 100% ownership...
Puget Sound Energy (PSD) recently signed a letter of intent with Houston-based Zilkha Renewable Energy to obtain 100-percent ownership of Zilkha's proposed 220-megawatt (MW) Wild Horse Wind Power Project located in the eastern part of Washington state's Kittitas County. It is the next step in an ongoing process to acquire renewable energy as part of a strategic plan to secure low-cost, long-term diverse resources for its growing customer base.
Former Soviet Weapon Designers Take On Wind Power
Worldchanging.com has an article about former soviet weapons designers working with Lawrence Berkely National Latoratory to design a new vertical axis wind turbine. Lawrence Berkeley helped form a new company, known as Wind Sail, to commercialize the new turbine for this Russian group.
Northern Power Systems to Supply Remote Power Systems in Alaska
Northern Power Systems, a subsidiary of Distributed Energy Systems Corp (DESC) has been awarded an approximately $800,000 contract for eight hybrid TelePower(TM) remote power systems. The 48VDC systems will supply power for a critical U.S. military application in Alaska. Each of the eight Northern TelePower systems will generate power through a combination of renewable sources consisting of a photovoltaic (PV) array with a single wind turbine and a pair of Thermo Electric generators to be used when the renewable sources are not adequate. The systems are designed to reliably operate year round in the harsh Alaskan environment, particularly...
