USA - AWEA study shows U.S. still dominates small wind sector

The American Wind Energy Association's (AWEA's) newly released 2007 Small Wind Turbine Global Market Study finds that U.S. manufacturers continue to dominate the world market share of small-turbine sales globally.

Roughly half of all U.S. manufacturers' sales are made overseas, while jobs remain within U.S. borders, according to the report. Seven thousand Americans purchased small wind turbines last year for their homes, farms or small businesses, showing increasing demand for residential-scale systems.

"The industry remains strong, but without a federal investment tax credit to help consumers buy these systems, small wind could be hard-pressed to keep up with the solar industry," says Ron Stimmel, AWEA's small wind advocate. "Small wind remains the only renewable energy technology without a federal-level tax credit."

The full study is now available online at www.awea.org/smallwind or www.awea.org/smallwind/documents/AWEASmallWindMarketStudy2007.pdf