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AWEA CEO Denise Bode shares her opinions on the growing wind energy market and the role composites can play.
Denise Bode is CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). She is a nationally recognized energy policy expert and has more than 30 years experience in the energy field, including DEO of the American Clean Skies Foundation, President of the Independent Petroleum Association of America and a tax partner in a D.C.-based law firm. Bode shares her opinions on the growing wind energy market and the role composites can play.
How has the wind industry changed over the past few years?
The American wind industry has grown rapidly in the recent past and now provides about 85,000 American jobs. The data we have from AWEA members shows they have increased domestic manufacturing twelve-fold since 2004 and invested over $1 billion in U.S. wind manufacturing facilities in the last three years.
How do you see that percentage increasing further?
Over 50 percent of the 8,000 component parts of wind turbines used in the U.S. are manufactured in the U.S., up from 25 percent a few years ago. Our goal is to increase that percentage as quickly as possible by recruiting supply chain companies from across all over the world, to build manufacturing plants in the U.S. Passing a renewable electricity standard (RES) would help persuade those companies by creating demand for wind components.
What technology has given the wind energy market the biggest boost?
There have been a series of incremental improvements in an industry where a new generation of equipment comes along every few years. One of the smaller improvements with a big effect is taller towers. Another is variable speed drives on the turbines themselves.
What’s driving that adoption?
The adoption of taller towers is driven by the realization that greater energy-capture will more than make up for the extra cost.
What do you see as the next hot topic in wind energy?
We are working closely with members of Congress to address their concerns in wind energy and to find ways to create more American jobs. Enacting legislation such as a renewable electricity standard would provide the long-term commitment American companies need to justify investment in manufacturing facilities here in the U.S. This step alone would create more than 250,000 jobs in the next 15 years.
Where do you see the most potential for composite growth within wind energy?
Along with continuous improvement in making turbine blades bigger and lighter and replacing some nacelle components, composites could be used to make tall towers. The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) has recently been awarded funding to design and test structures and materials for composite wind turbine towers up to 100 meters in height.
In your opinion what would help the composites industry expand its presence in the wind energy market?
The composite industry needs substantial R&D and commercialization funding to make the U.S. wind industry technologically and financially competitive for next-generation wind turbine designs.
How many turbines were installed in the U.S. and globally this year as compared to last year and what you expect for 2010?
The U.S. wind energy industry installed over 10,000 megawatts (MW) of new wind power generating capacity in 2009, the largest year in U.S. history, and enough to power the equivalent of 2.4 million homes or generate as much electricity as three large nuclear power plants.
How does the U.S. fare in its use of renewable energy compared to other countries?
In 2009, China passed the U.S. in new installations and in manufacturing of wind turbines. The U.S. still remains the largest market in cumulative capacity for the second year in a row but here again China is hard on our heels. If this isn’t the ‘case-closed’ evidence illustrating that America must have a stable renewable energy policy and hard targets in order to create jobs and revitalize our economy, I don’t know what is. China gets it, 37 other nations get it, and we still don’t. It is time to act now on a national RES so that America can immediately create manufacturing jobs and be the world wind power leader. The economy can’t wait, job creation can’t wait, and America can’t wait.
Is offshore energy viable? If so, when will it be a reality?
As of the end of 2009, ten countries have wind projects installed offshore providing clean, renewable electricity: Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These projects account for 2072 MW total offshore wind installed and grid connected.
How does the U.S. compare?
Offshore wind power is gaining momentum in the U.S. Both the federal government and several states established significant milestones in 2009 to encourage offshore wind power development. In April 2010, Secretary Salazar announced the Record of Decision for the Cape Wind project proposed in Nantucket Sound. This final approval demonstrates that the U.S. is serious about deploying offshore wind and about competing in the global race for manufacturing jobs.
However, long term stable policies at the national level are also necessary to provide the certainty necessary for project financing and U.S. manufacturing growth.
How has AWEA evolved?
Formed in 1974 and based in Washington D.C., we promote wind energy as a clean source of electricity for consumers in the U.S. and around the world. Through Congressional outreach and education, AWEA supports policies aimed at generating investment in the U.S. economy, improving U.S. energy security, and slowing climate change, including extension of the federal production tax credit (PTC) for wind energy, establishment of a national renewable electricity standard (RES), support for efforts to strengthen and expand the U.S. electric transmission system, and more.
What would you like to see happen with renewable energy in the next five years?
We’d like to see a 25 percent renewable electricity by 2025 standard, with a near-term target such as the 10 percent by 2012, which is the objective called for in the Obama-Biden New Energy for America plan. We’d also like a long-term extension on the Renewable Energy Production Tax credit to ensure policy stability. Also, legislation to develop a high-voltage interstate transmission highway system for renewable energy.
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