US Now World's Top Wind Power Generator

clipped from www.enn.com The United States overtook Germany as the biggest producer of wind power last year, new figures showed, and will likely take the lead in solar power this year, analysts said on Monday. Even before an expected "Obama bounce" from a new President who has vowed to boost clean energy, U.S. wind power capacity surged 50 percent last year to 25 gigwatts (GW) -- enough to power more than five million homes. The wind sector is now suffering from a financial crisis which has dried up project finance and a sharp fall in oil prices which has weakened its competitiveness compared to gas, but it is aided by subsidies such as a guaranteed price premium in Germany and Spain. The U.S. Senate Finance Committee last week approved some $31 billion in tax breaks and other incentives to boost alternative energy supplies and efficiency as part of the Obama administration's much bigger U.S. economic stimulus plan. Obama wants to double U.S. alternative energy output over three years.

The piece also tells us, "The United States is also expected to overtake Germany this year as the world's biggest producer of solar power, aided by its far sunnier climate, Jefferies analyst Michael McNamara told Reuters on Monday."

It's a damned good start, but that's all it is -- a start. Until we're 100% renewable, it's still a work in progress.