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<div>Begin forwarded message:<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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color="#000000" face="Helvetica" size="4"><b>From: </b></font><font
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face="Helvetica" size="4">Darcey Rakestraw <<a
href="mailto:DRakestraw@worldwatch.org">DRakestraw@worldwatch.org</a>></font></div>
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color="#000000" face="Helvetica" size="4"><b>Date: </b></font><font
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face="Helvetica" size="4">April 10, 2008 5:23:07 AM PDT</font></div>
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color="#000000" face="Helvetica" size="4"><b>To: </b></font><font
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face="Helvetica" size="4">Darcey Rakestraw <<a
href="mailto:DRakestraw@worldwatch.org">DRakestraw@worldwatch.org</a>></font></div>
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color="#000000" face="Helvetica" size="4"><b>Subject: </b></font><font
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face="Helvetica" size="4"><b>Wind Power Growth Blows Past Projections</b></font></div>
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<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><b><font face="Arial">FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE</font></b></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><b><font face="Arial">Thursday,
April 10, 2008</font></b></span><span lang="en-us"></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">Contact: Darcey
Rakestraw</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">(+1)
202.452.1992 x517</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial"><a
href="mailto:drakestraw@worldwatch.org">drakestraw@worldwatch.org</a></font></span><span
lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"></span></p>
<br>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><b><font face="Arial" size="4">Wind
Power Growth Blows Past Projections</font></b></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><b><font face="Arial">Washington,
D.C.—</font></b></span><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">Global
wind power capacity rose 27 percent in 2007 to more than 94,100
megawatts, led by capacity additions in the European Union, the United
States, and China, according to the latest</font></span><span
lang="en-us"> </span><a href="http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5448"><span
lang="en-us"><i><u><font color="#0000ff">Vital Sign Update</font></u></i></span><span
lang="en-us"></span></a><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial"> from
the Worldwatch Institute. </font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">New wind
installations were second only to natural gas in the United States as
an additional source of power capacity and were the leading source of
new capacity in the EU. In China, the estimated 3,449 megawatts of wind
turbines added last year propelled China past the government’s
ambitious wind power target for 2010.</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">The addition of
a record-breaking 5,244 megawatts of wind capacity in the United States
in 2007—enough to power 4.5 million U.S. homes—was driven by the
federal production tax credit and by renewable energy mandates in 25
states and the District of Columbia. The nation’s wind capacity now
totals 16,818 megawatts, second only to Germany. The production tax
credit is set to expire at the end of this year. “If Congress acts
quickly to extend the tax credit, the U.S. will likely pass Germany to
lead the world in wind power within the next two years,” according to
Janet Sawin, a Worldwatch senior researcher and the author of the
update. </font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">Germany remains
the world leader in wind power capacity, with almost 24 percent of the
global total (22,247 megawatts), but it experienced a lackluster year
in 2007. Still, renewable energy resources now generate more than 14
percent of Germany’s electricity needs, with about half of this coming
from wind. Spain led Europe in new installations in 2007, now ranking
third worldwide in total wind capacity (15,145 megawatts). France,
Italy, Portugal, and the United Kingdom all experienced significant
growth last year as well. In all, EU wind power capacity rose 18
percent in 2007, and the region is home to 60 percent of global
installed capacity.</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">China was the
biggest surprise in 2007. Barely in the wind business three years ago,
China trailed only the United States and Spain in new wind
installations in 2007, and ranked fifth in total installed capacity
(6,050 megawatts). However, an estimated one-fourth of this capacity
remains unconnected to the grid due to planning problems.</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">This explosive
growth occurred amidst a backdrop of serious turbine shortages, a
challenge that is expected to be ameliorated sometime in 2009. Despite
higher costs due to turbine shortages, rising material costs, and
increased manufacturing profitability, wind power remains competitive
with new natural gas plants, and all conventional power plants have
seen similar construction-cost increases. Wind power will become
increasingly competitive with coal as more countries put a commodity
price on carbon.</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">The global wind
market was worth an estimated $36 billion in 2007, accounting for
almost half of all investment in new renewable electric and heating
capacity. As many as 200,000 people are now employed in the wind
industry worldwide. These numbers will only rise in the coming years as
the EU seeks to meet aggressive 2020 targets for renewables and as the
United States, China, and other nations realize their enormous
potential for wind power.</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">“The wind
industry has consistently blown by past projections,” says Sawin, “and
it will likely continue to do so for years to come.”</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font face="Arial">—END—</font></span></p>
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lang="en-us"> </span><br class="khtml-block-placeholder">
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<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><b><font face="Arial">Note to
Editors: </font></b></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><b><font color="#000000"
face="Arial" size="2">To obtain the text of the full</font></b></span><span
lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"><b><i> <font color="#000000"
face="Arial" size="2">Update</font></i></b></span><span lang="en-us"></span><span
lang="en-us"><b><font color="#000000" face="Arial" size="2">, visit</font></b></span><span
lang="en-us"> </span><a href="http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5448"><span
lang="en-us"><b><u><font color="#0000ff">http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5448</font></u></b></span><span
lang="en-us"></span></a><span lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"><b><font
color="#000000" face="Arial" size="2">.</font></b></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><b><font color="#000000"
face="Arial" size="2">To interview Janet Sawin, please contact Darcey
Rakestraw at</font></b></span><span lang="en-us"> </span><a
href="mailto:drakestraw@worldwatch.org"><span lang="en-us"><b><u><font
color="#0000ff">drakestraw@worldwatch.org</font></u></b></span><span
lang="en-us"></span></a><span lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"><b><font
color="#000000" face="Arial" size="2"> or (+1) 202.452.1992 x517.</font></b></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><b><font color="#000000"
face="Arial" size="2">Worldwatch E-mail list:</font></b></span><span
lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"> <font color="#000000"
face="Arial" size="2">If you would like to receive Worldwatch press
advisories regularly or wish to be removed from this mailing list,
please send your request to Darcey Rakestraw at <a
href="mailto:drakestraw@worldwatch.org">drakestraw@worldwatch.org</a>
or call (+1) 202.452.1992 x517.</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font color="#000000" face="Arial"
size="2">About the Worldwatch Institute:</font></span><span
lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"><b> <font color="#000000"
face="Arial" size="2">The Worldwatch Institute is an independent
research organization based in Washington, D.C. Through accessible,
fact-based analysis of critical global issues, Worldwatch helps to
inform people around the world about the complex interactions among
people, nature, and economies. For more information, visit <a
href="http://www.worldwatch.org">www.worldwatch.org</a>.</font></b></span><span
lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"></span><a name=""><span
lang="en-us"><font face="Californian FB">Darcey Rakestraw</font></span></a><span
lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font color="#800000"
face="Californian FB">Communications Director, Worldwatch Institute</font></span><span
lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font color="#800000"
face="Californian FB">1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 800</font></span><span
lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font color="#800000"
face="Californian FB">Washington, DC 20036</font></span><span
lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font color="#800000"
face="Californian FB">phone: 202-452-1992 x 517</font></span><span
lang="en-us"></span><span lang="en-us"></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font color="#800000"
face="Californian FB">cel: 202-210-0152</font></span><span lang="en-us"></span><span
lang="en-us"></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"><font color="#800000"
face="Californian FB">fax: 202-296-7365</font></span><span lang="en-us"></span><span
lang="en-us"></span></p>
<p align="left"><span lang="en-us"></span><a
href="mailto:drakestraw@worldwatch.org"><span lang="en-us"></span><u><span
lang="en-us"><font color="#800000" face="Californian FB">drakestraw@worldwatch.org</font></span></u><span
lang="en-us"></span></a><span lang="en-us"></span></p>
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