It's nearly mid-December and the rush is on to activate farms before year-end so they show up in the '05 MW add count, which is a politically-influenced guestimation in many markets. There are three countries vying for the title of most MW added this year: Spain, the US, and Germany.
Germany can probably be ruled out already as it added only 511 MW through June, even though Q4 is usually when many come on line. Spain, Europe's main motor, will fall significantly below its showing of 1,931 last year, probably around 1,400 MW - it's added 600 MW through June. This leaves the US, which is set for 2,500 MW. But alas, it's a marathon, not a sprint - and without a PTC after 2008, the US will return to its yo-yo cycle with a big drop in activations.
Another downside to the schizo growth of the US: the US boom is the UK's bust. According to the BWEA, UK wind is constricted by US demand that diverts turbine components from its market, along with others. Damn Yanks!
Comments