Wind is one of the most popular forms of renewable energies globally, including in the United States. Due to economic woes, however, pressure has been placed on the renewable fields in the U.S. as the government attempts to reduce costs. However, the need to stay competitive and reduce reliance on oil are still at issue. In order to represent the many benefits of a renewable future in wind, the American Wind Energy Association has launched a new program.
Since the year of 2007, the wind energy industry is responsible for over a third of all new electrical generation in the U.S.. The Production Tax Credit, which is a federal tax incentive, has helped the wind industry grow to what it is today in the U.S.. However, this will be ending in 2012, with potentially harmful impacts on the growth of the wind industry in the U.S.. Current projections estimate that twenty percent of the U.S. electricity needs will be met through wind by the year 2020.
In order to show the individual positive outcomes of supporting the wind industry, the AWEA has recently created WindTV on their website where individuals are profiled weekly. The CEO of AWEA, Denise Bode, stated: “The wind industry is a tremendous American success story. Wind power is creating a new American manufacturing sector and jumpstarting rural economic development.”
The first profile is of a farmer in Iowa named Tim Hemphill. Iowa as a whole is a leader in the U.S. for wind energy, attaining twenty percent of its energy needs from wind energy alone. Not surprisingly, the state is also home to the most manufacturers in the wind industry in the country as well. The state is home to two blade factories, two turbine factories and a tower factory.
