Category Archives: OpEd

Iowa has been a leader in wind energy for decades and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future

Iowa has been a leader in wind energy for decades and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future. Last year, Iowa generated 36.6 percent of its electricity from wind, the most ever for any state. That figure is expected to keep growing, with the state’s two largest utilities having already started $4 billion … Continue reading Iowa has been a leader in wind energy for decades and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future

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AWEA statement on White House Energy Week

The following is a statement from Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) on President Trump’s Energy Week remarks: “We support President Trump’s strategic vision to seek American energy dominance. The wind industry — America’s largest source of renewable energy capacity — stands ready to do our part implementing the President’s vision … Continue reading AWEA statement on White House Energy Week

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Ohio lawmakers fail to fix wind energy setback rule in budget

The Ohio House of Representatives has insisted upon removing an important fix to wind turbine setback policy from the state’s proposed biennial budget, after Senate lawmakers advanced a compromise measure last week. Adopted in 2014 with no public debate, Ohio’s current wind turbine setbacks are among the country’s most restrictive and have essentially functioned as … Continue reading Ohio lawmakers fail to fix wind energy setback rule in budget

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U.S. Conference of Mayors passes 100 percent renewable resolution

The U.S. Conference of Mayors, a bipartisan group representing 1,400 mayors across the country, just adopted a resolution to encourage cities to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. The move follows big 100 percent renewable announcements in recent months from cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, Ore., and Salt Lake City. Many smaller municipalities, … Continue reading U.S. Conference of Mayors passes 100 percent renewable resolution

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WindEurope discusses how better weather and climate forecasting leads to smarter power system management

WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson addressed the fourth International Conference on Energy and Meteorology in Bari, Italy on 26 June This event discussed how the energy industry and the meteorological sector could enhance their collaboration, exchange further knowledge and develop tailored products and services for renewable energies. Dickson highlighted the common interests between wind and meteorology: … Continue reading WindEurope discusses how better weather and climate forecasting leads to smarter power system management

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Wind energy remains popular among Americans of all political stripes

It’s no surprise that the popularity of wind energy continues to grow in the United States. A new report from the National Surveys on Energy and Environment once again shows that Americans want more wind energy. An overwhelming 83 percent of survey respondents support increasing the use of wind energy in their state. The more … Continue reading Wind energy remains popular among Americans of all political stripes

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WindEurope furthers the interests of wind during EU Sustainable Energy Week

As part of EU Sustainable Energy Week, WindEurope has been at the heart of several events promoting the interests of the wind industry. On Tuesday, WindEurope organised an Energy Day event on A (C)lean energy transition: Innovative approaches to the offshore wind supply chain. The event focused on some of the key questions related to … Continue reading WindEurope furthers the interests of wind during EU Sustainable Energy Week

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Trump bashes wind energy in state that gets a third of its power from wind

On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump held a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he praised coal and ridiculed wind energy. “I don’t want to just hope the wind blows to light up your homes,” Trump told the crowd. Iowa is the leading producer of wind energy in the country and generated 36.6 percent of … Continue reading Trump bashes wind energy in state that gets a third of its power from wind

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May cooler heads prevail in debate over renewable energy’s role in providing clean electricity

While articles in the academic journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences don’t often provoke bitter fights on the pages of major newspapers, that was the case for an academic study about renewable energy published earlier this week. The article was authored by 21 energy experts, many of whom previously published articles showing large … Continue reading May cooler heads prevail in debate over renewable energy’s role in providing clean electricity

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Adding renewables keeps the lights on and money in America’s pockets

Yesterday, a new report from Analysis Group reconfirmed an important point: adding renewable energy to America’s electricity grid strengthens reliability and saves consumers money. AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan penned a column in the Huffington Post explaining some of Analysis Group’s findings. Here are a few highlights: Although some commentators have raised concerns that the declining … Continue reading Adding renewables keeps the lights on and money in America’s pockets

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Perspectives of the Wind Energy Market in Russia

WWEA and FES Russian Federation, in collaboration with St. Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnical University and the Russian Association for the Wind Industry RAWI, have conducted a study on the status of the wind energy market in Russia. The study “Perspectives of the Wind Energy Market in Russia” has been presented today during a launch event … Continue reading Perspectives of the Wind Energy Market in Russia

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Global Wind Day 2017: Photo contest winners

In celebration of Global Wind Day, the Global Wind Energy Council announced the winners of its photo contest earlier today. The winners took some seriously impressive shots. Here are the photos that came out on top, along with a description of their subjects: “A unique, first of its kind 73.2 MW wind farm on a … Continue reading Global Wind Day 2017: Photo contest winners

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Global Wind Day: wind power companies have come a long way

Susy Bento is a Marketing Specialist at Alcen Renewable. June 15, 2017 marks the 10th anniversary of the first ever Wind Day, a moment to celebrate wind as a renewable energy source. Since that initial celebration, Wind Day (now called Global Wind Day) has become a worldwide holiday. Every year, hundreds of events are held … Continue reading Global Wind Day: wind power companies have come a long way

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Enel enters Russian renewable sector with 291 MW of wind energy capacity awarded

Enel S.p.A. (“Enel”), acting through its subsidiary PJSC Enel Russia (“Enel Russia”), has been awarded two wind projects for a total capacity of 291 MW within the framework of the 2017 Russian government tender for the construction of 1.9 GW of wind capacity in the country. The two projects will be developed and built by … Continue reading Enel enters Russian renewable sector with 291 MW of wind energy capacity awarded

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Wind power has crossed the 500GW milestone – Global Wind Day 2017

Today we celebrate Global Wind Day. With over 500GW installed worldwide, wind power has become the leading source of new power generation in Europe and in many countries around the world. In 2016 alone $112.5 billion were invested in wind power globally, and the industry now employs 1.2 million people making it one of the … Continue reading Wind power has crossed the 500GW milestone – Global Wind Day 2017

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WindEurope promotes common interests with biomass but urges biomass industry to ensure rigorous accounting methodology

On a panel with Paolo Frankl (Head of the Renewable Energy Division at the International Energy Agency) and Dana Younger (Chief Renewable Energy Specialist of the International Finance Corporation), Dickson highlighted the common interests between wind and biomass: both play a key role in delivering the 30% of Europe’s power that comes from renewables, and … Continue reading WindEurope promotes common interests with biomass but urges biomass industry to ensure rigorous accounting methodology

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Why does wind power bring this Ohio farmer to tears?

Ohio lawmakers are currently considering a measure that could transform the state’s rural communities, and last week they heard powerful testimony from those who will be directly impacted. Fixing Ohio’s wind turbine setbacks Let’s go back to 2014. That year, the state legislature adopted onerous wind energy setbacks, without accepting public comment or having any … Continue reading Why does wind power bring this Ohio farmer to tears?

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Wind power works like a charm for General Mills

We heard news yesterday that has us after a bowl of Lucky Charms. General Mills, a Fortune 500 company and American multinational maker of many well-known brands, such as Annie’s, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Old El Paso, Cheerios and Lucky Charms, signed a 15-year contract for 100 megawatts of Texas wind power capacity. The company’s wind … Continue reading Wind power works like a charm for General Mills

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Floating offshore wind energy comes of age with break-through pipeline of projects

Floating offshore wind is no longer consigned to the laboratory: it’s a viable technology ready to be rolled out on an industrial scale, according to the latest report from WindEurope released today at the Offshore Wind Energy 2017 event in London.   Not only has the technology for floating offshore wind reached maturity, costs are … Continue reading Floating offshore wind energy comes of age with break-through pipeline of projects

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Gov. Brian Sandoval can bring billions of dollars to Nevada by signing new bill

The Nevada legislature recently passed a new bill that would raise the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 40 percent by 2030. Now the measure heads to Gov. Brian Sandoval’s desk for his signature. On Tuesday, groups representing a range of renewable energy sources sent a letter to the governor explaining why he should sign … Continue reading Gov. Brian Sandoval can bring billions of dollars to Nevada by signing new bill

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