US High Resolution Wind Map

If you want to know how much wind to expect in a particular area of the US, the new high-resolution windmap from AWS Truewind LLC should give you a good idea.

The 200 meter grid cell resolution map was completed using AWS Truewind’s proprietary MesoMap® system, one of the most advanced wind mapping systems in use today. To date, MesoMaps have been utilized as a prospecting tool for wind farm siting in over 60 countries on behalf of public and private entities.

The new national map is scheduled for widespread release June 1, 2008 when it will be launched with AWS Truewind’s web-based wind prospecting application windNavigator. One of many next-generation powerful solutions scheduled for release this year, AWS Truewind’s windNavigator application will provide unprecedented access to high resolution wind resource maps and data through a fast and easy to use online tool.

Jim Adams, AWS Truewind’s Director of Business Development, expects the US will continue to be a significant factor in the global wind industry going forward. “With more than an order of magnitude growth potential and an expansion in wind capacity of 45% in 2007 alone (16,818 MW installed currently), the US represents one of the largest markets for wind energy development worldwide. The market is maturing, which means being the first developer on the ground at an attractive site prospect is mission critical for many. The new national wind map from AWS Truewind is by far the most accurate wind resource map available. Coupled with the ease and convenience of the windNavigator, our clients will truly have a competitive advantage.” __AWS__via__CleanTechnica

Wind energy company Noble Environmental Power has filed for an IPO worth US $375 million on NASDAQ as NEPI.

The company says it currently operates 282 megawatts of wind power capacity across three wind parks in New York and plans to have 465 megawatts of capacity come online by the end of the year. With another 1,205 megawatts in development, the company says it will have nearly 2 gigawatts of capacity by 2010. All of this is part of America’s booming wind energy market, which grew 45 percent last year and is on track to set a new record this year with 1,400 megawatts of capacity installed in the first quarter, according to new figures from the American Wind Energy Association.

Headquartered in Essex, Conn., Noble will have its IPO underwritten by its majority owner JP Morgan, as well as Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse. Founded in 2004, Noble hasn’t set an IPO date but intends to debut sometime later this year.

...About half of the installed turbines in the U.S. are owned by foreign energy firms and Spanish utility Iberdrola is the largest wind operator in the U.S. with nearly 7 gigawatts of capacity. Today, Iberdrola’s subsidiary Iberdrola Renovables (formerly PPM Energy) ordered 200 1.5 megawatt turbines from GE for $659 million. __Earth2Tech

In the near to intermediate term, wind energy appears to outshine solar in the renewable energy field. Farther in, expect bio-energy, solar (both solar thermal and PV), and enhanced geothermal to take the lead and all greatly out-distance wind. Why? Because the total energy available in bio-energy, solar, and enhanced geothermal--each-- significantly dwarfs the energy used by all humans on Earth. Of course, technically bio-energy is just another form of solar--one that contains its own built-in storage.