World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

March 10, 2002 – Vol.6 No.50

WORLD WIND WATCH.

So confident that wind power will increase globally, Gamesa has decided to spin off its aviation division. By exiting its airplane parts business, Gamesa will be in a better financial position to grow and explore new markets in wind energy. The company too, has begun investments in solar energy. Visit Gamesa at http://www.gamesa.es.

Another Spanish wind turbine maker, Made Technologias Renovables, a division of Spanish energy group Endesa, has signed an agreement to sell fifty turbines (of unknown capacity) to China. The turbines will be used in a wind farm planned for Bejing Guanting.

The Wind Energy Institute has been created at the University of California at Davis. The consortium will bring together UC Davis engineers, wind energy companies, utilities, environmentalists, state and federal government officials for the purpose of bringing more wind power to California. The first projects will be to collect wind generation data from California wind farms now on paper and post it on the Internet, set up a training program for wind energy technicians and map California wind resources. California now has about 1700 megawatts installed wind generation capacity.

A correction: Last week this publication reported the production tax credit (PTC) for wind and other renewables in the U.S. had been extended for 5 years. This was incorrect. The PTC, at this point, has been extended for 2 years. The five-year extension may be included in a broader energy bill still being debated in the U.S. Congress.