WINDPOWER, Part 2

Seth Dunn of GE Energy related his presentation on US Wind Policy at WINDPOWER last week to America's favorite pastime. This presentation was one of my favorites; making it easy to put policy into perspective.

Dunn presented the "field of dreams" for wind policy in America. Breaking it down into four categories, the things we need to help support the wind industry are:

1. A Financing Fix - the basic premise is that we need to restore the flow of financing so that projects can get off the ground. Factors that may help restore the flow are: A PTC 3 year extension, treasury grants, loan guarantee programs and a green energy bank.
   
   
2. A National RES - In order to provide some type of security in the industry it is imperative to provide a long term signal regarding renewable energy and its future in our country. In order for a National RES to accomplish what it needs to several things need to be included in legislation: aggressive long term requirements, meaningful milestones throughout, a bankable REC market, and penalties for non-compliance.
   
   
3. Transmission - We need to connect resource-rich areas to those areas that need the power. Interconnection-wide planning, cost allocation and federal siting authority will help facilitate the process.
   
   
4. Climate Policy - both long terms goals and requirements for the near future on emission reductions will help to spur the growth of renewable energy, not to mention the benefits it will pose environmentally speaking. Other things mentioned in Dunn's presentation that we need to see come out of climate policy is appropriate cost containment provisions and allowance value for renewable incentives.
   

Of course there will be challenges that come along with each base we round, but if financing programs get back up and running and legislation passes then the wind industry stands to see some substantial benefits.