AWEA (AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION)
Providing a Win – Wind Solution for Energy

By: Paulo Abesamis
2010-02-18

WIND power is one of the fastest growing forms of new electricity generation in the U.S. In 2007, 35% of all new generation capacity added to the electric grid in the U.S. was from wind power projects. Electric utilities are increasingly adding wind power to their power supply portfolios, as a clean, inexhaustible, and domestic source of electric generation.

AWEA works with utilities of all types – investor-owned utilities (IOUs), municipal public power utilities, and rural electric co-operatives – to provide practical information on wind power development, operation, and procurement. AWEA provides a forum for utilities to support each other as they bring their first projects on-line or as they integrate increasingly large amounts of wind power on their systems.

Electric utilities have a unique role in bringing wind power to their retail customers. Utilities are the connection to the end-use customers who are expecting that their electricity providers use more clean energy to power their homes, schools, businesses, and institutions. Wind power is available now, as the largest and most readily-deployable form of new clean energy generation available, and the utility role is critical to deliver this energy to retail electricity customers.

Several recent studies, as well as European experience, have shown that utilities can typically add wind generation to their power supply mix without major adjustments in the planning, operations, or reliability of their systems. In addition, wind power provides a hedge against fossil fuel price volatility since the ongoing costs of wind energy are relatively fixed. This ability to hedge fuel price fluctuations in a utility generation portfolio, combined with increasing customer demand for renewable energy, makes wind energy more valuable to utilities than ever before.

It was a rainy week in California and the attendees are lined up at Westin hotel on the GasLamp district of San Diego. The 2-day workshop among the organization members of AWEA (American Wind Energy Association) is geared towards Wind Project Profitability & Reliability.

The workshop is aimed at reviewing the latest results from the American Wind Industry performance of the previous year. This workshop provided a lot of insights as to how AWEA and its members have come up together to strengthen the industry and the people who works and support the development of technologies and services within the business.

With the clamor for more renewable sources of energy, AWEA members and the players within the industry are continuously developing better technologies and systems to optimize overall wind project performance, productivity and reliability.

The 2-day workshop aims to strengthen the industry’s role in providing better technology, systems and safety standards for the workforce of the industry. Speakers from different company shared their experiences and insights on how to further improve and develop the technologies and techniques involved in operating and maintaining wind generators.