Feb 8, 2010
World-Herald editorial: Wind potential in Nebraska
Published Thursday February 4, 2010
Omaha World Herald
The wind industry is growing, even in the current recession, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
And growing fast: In 2009, the industry added 39 percent more capacity. That means the United States is close to the point where 2 percent of its electricity will be generated by wind turbines, up from almost nothing just a few years ago. The federal stimulus package and its investment incentives got much credit for the rise.
The wind association cautioned, however, that growth could slow as the recession winds down. Industry investors have called for long-distance transmission lines between the windy Great Plains and the nation’s big population centers, most of them on the coasts. Transmission is a long-standing problem that will have to be addressed if growth is to continue.
In Nebraska, the State Legislature is working to craft laws that would encourage development of wind power while also protecting the state’s public power companies and their ratepayers. Nebraska is third-highest in the nation in wind generation potential.
Laws worked out in Lincoln this year will likely govern Nebraska’s future in wind power economic development, either encouraging investment and growth or restraining it. The siting, construction and maintenance of transmission lines will be a key component.
The association sees enormous potential for wind development nationally. One analyst suggested that by 2020, installed capacity could be five times higher than it is today, about 180,000 megawatts.
Nebraska has an opportunity to seize a sizable piece of that capacity, generating not only electricity but also considerable prosperity in small communities and rural areas across the state. Lawmakers need to work together to make that a reality.
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