Renewable Energy News | DOE Backs National Wind Power Expansion

At this year's Global Windpower 2004 meeting, the Federal Government announced new efforts to support wind power in the U.S. that could top $60 million over the next four years.

In a new twist these wind projects will be situated in areas with lower wind speed to greatly expand potential U.S. wind development through advances in cost effective low wind speed technology.

"The nation's vast wind energy resources can play a much larger role in our energy supply portfolio," said DOE Deputy Secretary of Energy Kyle McSlarrow. "These industry and university partnerships will help develop next generation wind technology and open the door to wind power at many locations around the country that otherwise would not be cost-competitive."

The selected project partners are from more than 10 different states and include: Clipper Windpower Technology (Carpinteria, Calif.), General Electric Global Research (Niskayuna, N.Y.), Global Energy Concepts (Kirkland, Wash.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Mass.), Native American Technologies (Lakewood, Colo.), Northern Power Systems (Waitsfield, Vt.), Tennessee Valley Infrastructure Group (Chattanooga, Tenn.), and Valmont Industries (Omaha, Neb.).