Reuters reported that United States will add 6,000 MW in wind power this year down by nearly 30% YoY as the credit crisis slowed expansion of the renewable energy source. Wind power has been one of the fastest growing sources of power generation, and the 2009 additions are equivalent to about six coal fired power plants.

Mr Denise Bode head of American Wind Energy Association said that "The lion's share of that was commissioned on or before the economy went south."

Mr Steve Sawyer secretary general at the Global Wind Energy Council said that globally, the wind power industry will grow about 12% in 2009. He added that China will overtake the United States as the number 1 wind power market in 2009, with an estimated 10,000 MW of turbines expected to come on line there this year.

Mr Peter Brun director of government affairs for Danish wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems said that "This is not a way to maintain many local jobs and also make the investments by investors like us in a sustainable way."

Vestas, which earlier this year reduced its US workforce because of declining orders, plans to increase the number of jobs in the United States to 4,500 from the current 2,000 jobs. Similarly, Iberdrola plans to invest more than USD 6 billion in the United States over the next three years.

(Sourced from www.reuters.com)