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3/2/08

PARADE Magazine: Wind Power - Europe has embraced commercial wind energy - by Wendy Williams

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Wind Power - Europe has embraced commercial wind energy - by Wendy Williams

Getting energy from the wind IS nothing new. Indeed, the idea is as old as the invention of a sail to move boats. The Romans used windmills to grind grain, and the Dutch used them to keep back the sea. Early ranches in America commonly used windmills to pump water and even, in the early 20th century, to generate electricity.Support for wind power is growing in the US Congress. When the Cape Wind project in MA first was proposed in 2001, few elected officials knew much about wind energy. Today, however, wind turbines are much more accepted. Among the states where they are most common—Texas, California, Minnesota and Iowa—support for wind energy is very strong. The growth of the industry has been promoted by the federal government in the form of tax credits. But many agree that more could be done. Al Benson, a natural-gas expert formerly with the U.S. Department of Energy, worries that America may be losing its edge in energy technology. “We need to encourage investment in new ideas,” he warns. “We need to try new things.” The lack of a long-term federal policy encouraging wind power has meant that manufacturing projects are moving to China, says Randall Swisher, head of the American Wind Energy Association. He notes that one important wind-turbine company has six factories in China—and none in the U.S.

Europe has embraced commercial wind energy. Some examples: • Denmark produces 20% of its electric power from wind and plans to double that figure over the next few decades. • In Germany, nearly 19,000 wind turbines cover the country, generating 5% of its electricity. It will start building hundreds of new turbines in the North and Baltic seas next year. • Britain hopes to build 7000 wind turbines—enough to power all the nation’s houses—by 2020.

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