GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of General Electric, recently announced that it is expanding its wind energy portfolio by agreeing to invest in a 209-megawatt project under construction by Airtricity Inc. in West Texas. The announcement was made earlier this month at Universal Studios California at GE's "Green is Universal" exhibition, a celebration of GE customers' improvements in operating and environmental performance.

GE Energy Financial Services and a subsidiary of Wachovia Corp. are each investing in a $300 million Roscoe Wind Farm in Mitchell, Nolan and Scurry counties. Construction of the Roscoe project began in March and is scheduled for completion by the end of this year in Roscoe, Texas, 45 miles southwest of Abilene in a cotton farming area. The Roscoe Wind Farm, the third wind project successfully developed by Airtricity in the United States, all in Texas. It will employ 209 one-megawatt Mitsubishi WTG turbines, with power sold to TXU Wholesale, a subsidiary of TXU Corp., under a five year contract.

The wind farm will annually produce power sufficient for 60,000 homes and will avoid 375,000 tons a year in greenhouse gas emissions, compared to equivalent fossil fuel generation. The project supports GE's ecomagination efforts by helping Texas, which leads all US states in installed wind power capacity, meet its renewable energy requirement to produce 5,880 megawatts of its power from renewable sources by 2015. Ecomagination is GE's initiative to help its customers meet their environmental challenges while expanding its own portfolio of cleaner energy products.

"With strong wind resources, West Texas is an attractive site for new wind farm development," said Kevin Walsh, Managing Director and leader of renewable energy at GE Energy Financial Services. "As we strive to grow our renewable energy holdings to $4 billion by 2010, we will continue to invest in quality wind projects, such as Roscoe, that take advantage not only of strong winds, but of strong partnerships with wind energy leaders such as Airtricity."

For more information, visit the GE Energy Financial Services site.

Memorial Day Weekend unofficially marks the start of summer, with hotter days and family road trips following close behind. Since the costs of cooling your home and filling up your car can add up, the Federal Trade Commission is offering tips to save you money.

Saving Starts @ Home: The Insider Story on Conserving Energy offers energy conservation tips to help consumers save money in every room of the house, from the attic to the garage:

• Win With Windows - If you're in the market for new windows, consider high-efficiency alternatives. Look for the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) label, an independent industry rating system for the energy performance of windows, doors, and skylights.
• Water Heater 120 - Make sure your water heater is set to 120 degrees. Some thermostats are preset to 140 degrees, which can cost you more money.
• Be a Fan of Energy Efficiency - Consider a "whole-house" fan. In the summer, it circulates cool air through the house and vents warm air through the attic. It works best at night and when the air outside is cooler than inside.

For more tips, check out the Savings Starts @ Home site. The site is also available in Spanish.

The U.S. wind energy industry is on track to install over 3,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power generating capacity nationwide in 2007, with Texas likely to account for about two thirds of the new installations, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said today in its first quarter market report. Over 100 MW have newly come online in the U.S. so far this year, and over 1,000 more are under construction in Texas alone, according to AWEA. One megawatt of wind power produces enough electricity on average to serve 250 to 300 homes.

"Clean, cost-effective, inexhaustible, and readily available wind power is an essential element of the solution to both climate change and America's increasing demand for electricity," said AWEA executive director Randall Swisher. " Texas recognized this business opportunity and successfully spurred wind power development with a Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) and other forward-looking policies."

"The moment has come for the U.S. government to build on the example set by Texas and many other states, and enact a national RPS as part of any energy legislation it considers this year," added Swisher.

Fifty U.S. Senators recently called for a "strong" national RPS and it is likely that the U.S. Congress will consider RPS legislation this summer. A Renewables Portfolio Standard uses market mechanisms to ensure that a growing percentage of electricity is produced from renewable sources.

"Already one of our nation's top agricultural producers, Texas is now reaping the benefits of being a top wind producer," said Ned Meister, director of Commodity and Regulatory Activities for the Texas Farm Bureau. "Texas' RPS is fueling new economic and environmental benefits for Texas farmers and ranchers." Wind farms revitalize the economy of rural communities by providing steady income to farmers, ranchers, and other landowners. Each wind turbine contributes $3,000 to $5,000 per year or more in farm income.

Currently, Texas is the state with the largest amount of wind power in operation, providing income to rural communities, new business and jobs, as well as clean, renewable energy for its economy. Twenty-two states now have an RPS, and, given the economic success of the policy and the urgency of addressing global warming, several have recently moved to strengthen their requirements. In the past few months alone, New Mexico and Colorado both increased their renewable energy requirement to 20 percent by 2020, and Minnesota adopted an RPS of 25 percent by 2025.

The first hundred megawatts installed this year were completed in Oklahoma (60 MW), Maine (33 MW), Texas (10 MW), and Hawaii (21 MW). Cumulative wind power generating capacity in the U.S. now stands at 11,699 MW. This capacity will generate an estimated 31 billion kilowatt-hours this year, enough to serve the equivalent of nearly 3 million average households.

For more information, check out the AWEA press release.

Worried about your impact on the environment? The National Forest Foundation has developed a Carbon Calculator to help estimate your carbon footprint, or the amount of carbon dioxide that your daily activities release into the atmosphere through the combustion of fossil fuels. Plug your numbers into the Carbon Calculator to see how you compare to the average American.

Once you've calculated your footprint, one of the ways you can reduce it is to get green renewable energy through GreenEnergyChoice.com. Enter your address to see what environmentally-friendly electricity is available for your home now.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently responded to the findings of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on the benefits and impacts of wind energy in the Mid-Atlantic region.

According to AWEA's Executive Director Randall Swisher, "The report verifies the fact that wind energy development's overall impact on birds is extremely low compared with many other human-related activities. More than a thousand times as many birds are killed flying into buildings, for example, than wind turbines."

With respect to bird collisions, the NAS report said, in a section entitled Bird Deaths in Context, "Clearly, bird deaths caused by wind turbines are a minute fraction of . . . total anthropogenic bird deaths—less than 0.003 percent [three of every 100,000] in 2003."

National Audubon Society President John Flicker is an outspoken supporter of wind energy. In a column he wrote for the November-December 2006 issue of the Society's magazine, he stated that Audubon "strongly supports [properly sited] wind power as a clean alternative energy source" and pointed to the threat global warming poses to birds and other wildlife.

"The wind industry is a conscientious and highly active steward of the environment and supports and funds ground-breaking wildlife research through collaborative agreements with conservation groups and foundations," said Swisher, adding, "Wind power is an essential element of the solution to both climate change and America's exponentially increasing demand for electricity . It's 100 percent clean, free and inexhaustible, and a readily available and cost-effective source of energy throughout most of the U.S."

AWEA estimates that in 2007, wind electricity will displace approximately 19 million tons of carbon dioxide—the leading greenhouse gas and primary global warming pollutant—which otherwise would be emitted by traditional energy sources such as coal, natural gas, and oil. The also say that with the growing public demand for clean energy, there is broad recognition that wind energy is essential in balancing our nation's energy needs.

For more information, check out the American Wind Energy Association press release.

The Texas House of Representatives recently adopted new legislation that was created to ensure the development of 500 megawatts (MW) of "non-wind" renewable energy, including include biomass, geothermal and hydropower, by 2015.

The legislation, put forth by Representative Wayne Christian, would create a mandatory non-wind goal within the Texas renewable portfolio standard (RPS). Originally adopted in 1999, the Texas RPS is considered one of the most successful of its kind in the nation to stimulate the growth of renewable energy.

Proponents say that if it is signed into law this year, the legislation would:

• Foster reliable and renewable energy sources: biomass, geothermal and hydropower plants are capable of operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year


• Diversify the electricity generation portfolio in Texas and encourage development of new renewable resources throughout the State


• Lower electricity rates for Texas consumers by reducing the reliance on the state's most expensive and inefficient peak power plants


• Improve air and water quality


• Create thousands of high-paying construction and operation jobs


• Encourage economic development that will pump hundreds of millions of dollars into local economies throughout the state


• Reduce the generation of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change

The legislation has enjoyed broad, diverse and overwhelming support and is supported by state environmental organizations, numerous power producers, state and national trade associations, as well as large corporations.

For more information, check out the press release Texas House of Representatives Again Adopts Legislation to Encourage New Renewable Energy Development.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently released its annual rankings of wind energy development in the United States. The U.S. wind energy industry installed over 2,400 megawatts (MW) of new power generation in the country, an investment of about $4 billion, making wind one of the largest sources of new power generation in the country at a time of growing electricity demand. Total installed U.S. wind power capacity is over 11,600 MW, or enough to serve the equivalent of 3 million average households.

The rankings include the states that generate the most electricity from wind, the nation's largest wind farms, leading suppliers of wind turbines, largest owners of wind projects, utilities that use the most wind power for their customers, and other industry information.

"These wind power rankings tell the story of a vibrant industry that is growing fast, competing hard, gaining market share, and all the while powering a cleaner, stronger America," said AWEA executive director Randall Swisher. "Our new Congressional district rankings also serve as a reminder of the many benefits that wind power brings to local communities—new jobs, more local revenue, cleaner air, and an essential, home-grown contribution to meeting the challenge of global warming."

However, a long-term extension of the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) is crucial to sustain this growth. Previous short-term extensions have led to a boom-and-bust cycle in the wind industry, increasing costs along the entire supply chain and preventing businesses from growing to their full potential.

AWEA's annual rankings provide a standard reference for tracking the growth of wind power in the U.S. Texas is firmly established as the leader in wind power development, with over 2,700 MW installed at the end of 2006 and some 1,000 MW currently under construction. Washington moves into fifth place (ahead of Oklahoma) with the addition of two large projects, Big Horn and Wild Horse. Iowa and Minnesota look likely to break the 1,000 MW mark in 2007. Washington will come close, with the 140-MW Marengo project that is currently under construction there.

Information for these rankings was reported to AWEA by Association members. For more detailed data on existing wind power projects in the U.S., visit www.awea.org/projects.