Show, Don’t Tell
The title of this post is an old maxim for writers, a reminder that an example is much more compelling to readers than a factoid.
Fact: Despite turbine shortages, installed wind energy in 2007 far outpaced projections, according to the Worldwatch Institute’s Vital Sign Update (password required, so here’s a summary). The United States added 5,244 megawatts, bringing our total wind capacity to 16,818 megawatts – second to the world leader in wind, Germany.
Example: Much as I would love to travel America to chronicle the growth of wind power (Wait. Can I do that? Is there funding? Call me!), for now we’ll be content to look at some news from a locality affected by the wind power boom.
The Denver Post reports that Vestas plans to build the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturing facility, likely to employ some 400 people by the end of 2010, in a Colorado location yet to be determined. Vestas already makes turbine blades in Windsor, Co., not far from Fort Collins, employing about 650 people. Texas firm Dragon Wind will soon build turbine towers in Colorado, too. One draw for these manufacturing firms is the distribution system made possible by Colorado’s robust rail infrastructure. According to The Post, the cost of moving freight by diesel train is lower than by diesel truck, plus Vesta’s ginormous turbine blades are too large for truck beds.
Here’s the other draw:
Proximity to the vast North American heartland of wind. All together, it’s a pretty picture: A transport system for getting turbine materials and distributing products, an available work force, a supply of wind, and demand for energy. What’s missing? A way to transmit the power.
Tags: FirstLook, Vestas, wind energy growth, wind turbine manufacturing
Author: Leah Kauffman
