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<br /> THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. , {
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<br /> Not Just Tiltin g Anymore
<br /> , ,
<br /> Higher Fuel Costs, Tax Credits,
<br /> Better Technology Whip Up
<br /> J.
<br /> Hopes for Wind Power Again Windfall
<br /> Capacity of installed wind-power
<br /> "'
<br /> By REBECCA SMITH 8,000 megawatts
<br /> ADEN AND MURfEL Bergan , ,' r :
<br /> r yp d dx x V a r r.r"., t z N�
<br /> watched intently as workmen in- ? it s �
<br /> stalled wind turbines on their Iowa ° : , ''' +r ,.
<br /> ■
<br /> farm two years ago, as a whipping ^ " 'i i = e t , � , ' ,t" -5 ;t? �`j4
<br /> wind made it difficult to align the `"' t" j? ft 1'
<br /> 11 87-foot blades with bolt holes at the top of a -
<br /> l.. 327-foot tower. "It was a regular circus act," +° , , ' a
<br /> L Mr. Bergan says. 2,000
<br /> Getting circumstances as e al y daunting up for over
<br /> ' wind industry has been equally daunting over
<br /> the years. With bigger, better turbines that 0
<br /> woduce electricity at competitive prices, the
<br /> l industry should be enjoying an unprecedented - sourest.ftS.Department of Ener windEnergy
<br /> boom. Yet each time it gains momentum, Program American wmd EnerryAaaoaefon
<br /> something comes along to thwart progress,
<br /> with the most recent hiccup being the expira-
<br /> tion of a federal tax credit at the end of 2003
<br /> that stalled$2 billion of projects.
<br /> A bill re-establishing the tax credit passed
<br /> both houses of Congress in late September,
<br /> however, and President Bush signed the mea
<br /> sure earlier this month, providing a 1.8 cent ,"
<br /> credit for each kilowatt hour of electricity pro
<br /> duced by qualifying turbines built by the end
<br /> of 2005 for a 10-year period. Many industry
<br /> watchers believe the tax credit could stimu- + - ,
<br /> late the growth that's been predicted for '
<br /> years, but never fulfilled. +
<br /> Better technology and government stimu 1 t"
<br /> lus, along with high prices for competing e' ry r.
<br /> P g t,"i��r?», + - " 7 ", r.1u, �." " 1$
<br /> types of power generation, are driving re ' ,R raj � � = ,� ,+ +
<br /> newed optimism about wind power. With +i t + ' , r ' ,"'r,y8�H ¢ " 5 +, ,
<br /> power plants fossil
<br /> near d in
<br /> record levels, ;ti '� 's` urn, ^"i'i i wy� j Via' a+ ' ' t r ° + 5 f ,
<br /> 't��.7p"',,+°4,eya0. ud', ;g " , t'e� ,$ 1 ?^^a4,p': " ,-,f.',"•,;( : ¢+r mr C Y".
<br /> wind power is the cheapest source of energy ; „ ,r, ?M y " „ I u. ?,.".",,,;'''i't + , y a ty';-46 t +y
<br /> that can be built now. Newly built wind farms r .l ,� w' i M a " r ' t '
<br /> y '.„ n � + fk r d""„ � ` 'S .may' r + ;'�;'� lh� hn ✓ t 9 n
<br /> are "beating the socks off of any other new °^+i , f ,; nrr7a ,e fry`t f rv. , ,
<br /> F FF f y'� 5
<br /> source of generation," says Ryan Wiser, an , x i + �f A <r ,J b„t ok. , t' �, +o s 'f"
<br /> energy economist at the Department of Ener- dtw o a fr'a' op ys ' r it,:s , rr et ",* r' , ' ° i .
<br /> gy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory �,� Boa tt$ t- r nr °e� " ,i s-a t� ' 'k 1"'
<br /> in California. °a ;rse "r , "+ t '.a re 'i, w > ° cy" ,
<br /> + �j
<br /> A modern wind turbine can produce elec- i`.., , 7 " + �9
<br /> `ricity for about 2.5 cents to four cents a kilo- .i;: i"r 7"`'� �''` �' s wt;v ' "� i N,.
<br /> raft hour,including government subsidies,so A "j.' ` ' �� " -
<br /> the biggest turbines compete effectively "' N
<br /> against modern natural-gas-fired power g
<br /> plants, though they won't run as many hours i
<br /> of the day due to the variability of wind. As-
<br /> Please Turn to Page B2, Column 3 Giant wind turbines are boosting the output from wind farms and driving down wind-energy costs.
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