September 17 2007

World Wide Wind Turbine Shortage

This story of a worldwide shortage of wind turbines parallels what started happening in early 2006 with a worldwide shortage of the silicon ingots needed for manufacture of solar photovoltaic cells. "A worldwide shortage of wind turbines has been caused by a sudden surge in demand and the frenzied industrial growth of China creating delivery delays that could take years to rectify. Plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions and meet more of Britain's energy needs by an expansion of offshore wind farms have had to be revised, because experts now believe the chances of building them before 2010 at the earliest is unlikely."

"'There is a worldwide shortage of wind turbines,' said Dr Gordon Edge, director of economics and markets at the British Wind Energy Association, who claimed that a recent series of tax credits introduced in the US for the American wind power industry had sparked a construction boom... 'The US industry is going hell for leather at the moment and relying on imports of wind turbines from Europe.'"

Did GE miss the demand curve, or are we missing something? Loans for wind projects: diverting temporarily to what, solar projects?

Ethanol too is looking a bit stranded in overshoot mode, with fear of driving up food prices adding concerns. Where does the big money for renewables go, then, for the next three years?

Via: The Guardian Unlimited, Observer

September 17th, 2007 at 2:51 AM. Posted in Other. Share this post.