U.S. wind power growing fast but still lags

reuters.com — Wind-generated electricity is growing rapidly in the United States but the pace still lags far behind that in China, the organizer of an industry conference in North Carolina said.

"With the right policies in place, we can see explosive growth ... It's a global footrace," said Jeff Anthony, business development director of the American Wind Energy Association.

Although the United States has the largest amount of installed wind power capacity in the world, the wind power industry is "fighting to get on a level playing field" with other government-subsidized power-providers, Anthony told a conference of parts manufacturers, suppliers, wind project developers and economic development officers from around the southeastern United States.

"What the wind industry looks like in the U.S. in 10 years depends a lot on what comes out of Washington ... Policy does drive the industry," he told the conference in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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