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Wind Energy Industry in the US and Canada: A Note on the Regulatory Environment
Introduction Contd..
As of 2005, 13 billion cubic feet of natural gas was consumed daily for power generation in the US. Despite the increase in demand for natural gas, the number of drilling rigs has not increased proportionately. It is expected that natural gas shortage is going to get more severe in the near future in North America. This has made the mainstream power suppliers realize the need to have a balanced mix of energy sources in their portfolio to meet the growing demand. Development of wind energy helps in gaining self sufficiency in power generation, supplying it at a stable cost, and decreasing GHG emissions. The wind energy industry in the US and Canada is still at the growing stage. |
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Wind Energy Generation in the US and Canada
At the global level, the US and Canada occupy the second position behind Europe, in terms of both fossil fuel based power generation and wind energy generation. In 2004, the US and Canada together generated 4,718 terawatt hours4 (tWh) of fossil fuel based power, as compared to 4,644 tWh generated in 2003. On the contrary wind power generation capacity in 2004 was 7,184 megawatts5 (MW), which increased to 9,832 MW in 2005....
