Windpower surfaces as near-term generation option
This article describes how, after a decade of maturation in California, wind-turbine powerplants now are penetrating other regions. Technology advancements have made costs competitive with traditional options, but issues of long-term reliability and environmental impact linger. Propelled by steady technical improvements and regulators` recent emphasis on renewable energy, record numbers of wind-turbine powerplants are joining the ranks of commercial generation facilities across the US and Canada. As long as key reliability and environmental-impact issues are systematically addressed, growth is expected to continue briskly. Most of the 1,700 MW of existing windpowered capacity is located in California, but between 5,000 and 10,000 MW of new wind-turbine powerplants are being planned, are in construction, or are already in operation in more than a dozen other states and provinces--including Alaska, Alberta, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Oregon, Saskatchewan, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
- OSTI ID:
- 51696
- Journal Information:
- Power (New York), Journal Name: Power (New York) Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 139; ISSN POWEAD; ISSN 0032-5929
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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State Renewable Energy News - Volume 12, No. 2 - Summer 2003
Growth in sight. [Wind power in North America]