Wind Power Enjoying Strong Recovery in 2011 and Geothermal Power Market Propelling The US Market

According to RW Towt & Associates, a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, The U.S. Wind Power industry appears to be entering a phase of sustained recovery after a subdued 2010. Today, in only the second month of the new year, more wind parks are under construction than in all of 2010 – 5.6 GW of additional capacity – equivalent to about 3000 new wind turbines.

Electricity generated by wind is cost-competitive with natural gas now, according to Elizabeth Salerno, the director of industry data and analysis for the American Wind Energy Association.

"We expect that utilities will move to lock in more wind contracts, given the cost-competitive nature of wind in today's market," Ms. Salerno stated.

Wind energy stocks took an average 37% haircut in 2010, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. But, with a recovery well underway, bargain hunting investors have shown renewed interest in the sector – and the improved performance has exceeded expectations.

Exchange traded funds trading on the NYSE, such as PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy Portfolio and PowerShares Global Wind Energy Portfolio are performing well. Even micro-cap wind companies such as Nacel Energy and Crownbutte Wind Power are showing new signs of life.  Traditional turbine suppliers like GE and carbon fibre maker  Zoltek continue to thrive.

Another recently release report gives an in-depth analysis of the geothermal industry in the Americas, covering all the countries currently engaged in geothermal power production in the region, namely the US, Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala. The research analyzes the upcoming trends and major challenges faced by utilities in current market scenario and key drivers of various IT applications in the utility industry. The report covers cumulative installed capacity and generation forecasts from the geothermal resources for all the above mentioned countries - up to 2020. It also provides a detailed analysis of existing and future geothermal potential, major projects and the regulatory framework of the mentioned countries. The report also includes an overview of the geothermal industry in the Americas, major deals and the competitive landscape. This research study provides information on technological analysis, key research and development trends, key industry metrics such as growth drivers and restraints, cost analysis and profiles of major international geothermal organizations. This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research, interviews with industry participants and in-house analysis by a team of industry experts.

The Central America Geothermal Industry is Going to Tap into its Huge Geothermal Potential

Central America has huge potential for geothermal power generation. But only a few Central American countries, such as Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala, are currently harnessing geothermal power. With increasing emphasis on renewable sources for power generation around the world, and focus on gaining energy independence, many of these countries have started projects to develop geothermal resources. In addition, many other countries not producing geothermal power are investing in the development of geothermal resources.

The US Will Maintain its Leadership Position in the Global Market for Geothermal Power Generation

The US dominates the global geothermal market as well as the Americas market. The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is very actively promoting renewable and geothermal energy production in the country. Many policies and tax incentives are being devised to support geothermal developmental projects. The US government has also provided a stimulus funding of $338m for the development of geothermal projects under its Geothermal Development Program (GTP).

The US currently has many geothermal projects either under construction or in the planning phase. The capacity that is under development is more than the current total capacity of the entire Americas. It has more than 100 projects in the pipeline, which would add more than 7,000 MW of capacity.

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