USA - Nacel Energy - Excerpt from the current edition of Fortune Magazine

"The hunt for new sources of clean, renewable energy is moving into high gear, driven by continuing increases in oil and gas prices, unhappiness over U.S. dependence on foreign sources of fuel, and the nation's growing concerns over the impact fossil fuels are having on the environment. "Clean energy is an idea that is gaining traction," says Stuart Hart, a Cornell University professor and S.C. Johnson chair of the school's Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise. Still, he says, we're not likely to find a magic bullet that will answer all our needs: "It will be more of a patch work quilt of clean solutions, with each piece playing an important role."

Wind energy is certain to play one of the leading roles. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, President Obama in April pledged $93 million in funding for American wind energy research and development. The money, experts say, will help advance the goals of a 2006 Department of Energy study, which called for 20% of the nation's electricity needs to be sourced from wind energy by 2030.

To put that number in perspective, consider that U.S. electricity demand is expected to grow by nearly 40% by 2030. For wind energy to meet 20% of our 2030 electricity needs, it would have to produce 300,000 megawatts (MW) of power, enough to serve 90 million homes, That's a far cry from the 28,206 MW of wind power we currently produce, which is enough to serve less than nine million homes a year.

One company that's determined to narrow that gap is NACEL Energy, a Phoenix-based wind power company. NACEL develops clusters of six to 18 utility-size wind turbines. Paul Turner, CEO of NACEL, likes what he sees on the demand side: "The momentum in wind energy is huge. I've been in the energy business for 12 years and I've never seen this level of excitement over its potential."

To capitalize on that excitement, NACEL is focusing on what Turner sees as the "macro and micro issues of wind energy." On the one hand, locating its wind turbines in parts of the country that are, well, windy. That typically means the flat, open, treeless acreage found in the Texas Panhandle and the Midwest. But, of equal importance says Turner, is placing turbines in those windy states that also require their public utilities to purchase renewable energy.

NACEL, which completed its IPO in December 2007, is active where the wind power industry is growing fast: Texas plus Kansas, Illinois and Arizona. But unlike many of its competitors which have experienced delays connecting their wind projects to congested high-voltage transmission wires, NACEL uniquely engineers its facilities to connect to lower voltages.

At lower voltages, the wind power is easier for public utilities to absorb because it can serve local load. The projects themselves are also simpler to finance -- in part because they can be built more quickly. This combination, says Turner, makes NACEL's approach especially attractive in turbulent financial times. "Wind will never be our sole source of energy, but it's become a key part of the nation's energy mix, and it's going to play an even bigger role in the future as the U.S. tackles reducing greenhouse gas emissions," says Turner."

For more information please contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net