Hot on the heels of the startup of Nevada's first wind power project on public land, the forecast for the nation's wind industry is beginning to turn, well, not so swell. Sector layoffs and plant shutdowns this year are up and are expected to continue next year, which many industry players largely blame on the scheduled expiration of the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) by year-end.
Even so, this has been a strong year for U.S. wind-power capacity increases, with total capacity expected to soon pass the 50-GW mark, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Washington.