QUICK NEWS, November 19: WORLD OFFSHORE WIND OVERVIEW; BEHIND SUN NUMBERS, 1; DEVELOPER BUILDS IN KANSAS WIND

WORLD OFFSHORE WIND OVERVIEW Offshore Report 2013

4Q 2013 (Pike Research/BTM Consultant/Navigant)

“Highlights of offshore wind power development in 2011highlights of offshore wind power development in 2011 included…Cumulative installation of 3.99 GW…More than 5 GW under construction…Nearly 100 GW offshore project portfolios identified globally…Europe is the largest offshore wind continent, the UK is the largest offshore wind market…”

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“Seven out of the Top 10 wind farm operators are European utilities and two are from Asia…Siemens and Vestas are the largest offshore turbine suppliers, sharing 86% of the total global market…The industry has seen the deployment of three drivetrain concepts…HVDC cables and cabling vessels are still bottlenecks…This year’s forecast and prediction indicate offshore on track for increased contribution to wind power in Europe…”

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BEHIND SUN NUMBERS, 1 Delving Into The Numbers: Latest Solar Jobs Census Shows Strong Growth

15 November 2012 (Solar Industry)

“The National Solar Jobs Census…[just released by The Solar Foundation (TSF)]…reveals positive growth once again in solar employment…

“Several of the business subsectors analyzed posted increases in their job numbers, and all indicators point to further good news in 2013…[The] census showed that the solar sector employs workers in all 50 U.S. states…”

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“[Among] the most important numbers [were]…119,016: The total number of solar workers in the U.S., up from 105,145 (per TSF's revised numbers) last year…Given the difficult overall economic conditions and patterns of employment, industry leadership figures expressed strong satisfaction with the findings…

“…13.2%: Growth in solar employment over last year's totals…By comparison, the national average employment growth rate from last year to this year was just 2.3%, according to the report. Furthermore, during the three years for which TSF has conducted its Solar Jobs Census, industry employment has grown a full 27% - eight times faster than the broader economy, which posted job growth of 3.2%...[continued Tuesday]…”

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DEVELOPER BUILDS IN KANSAS WIND NTR's Wind Capital Opens Post Rock Wind Farm in Kansas; 201 MW Wind Farm to Power Over 70,000 Homes

November 19, 2012 (NTR Wind Capital Group)

“…[Leading renewable energy investor NTR Group’s Wind Capital Group]…dedicated its Post Rock Wind Farm at a ceremony in Ellsworth, Kansas…Construction of Post Rock commenced in 2011..The project was completed on time and on budget…Commercial operations commenced on October 4th of this year…”

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“…Post Rock uses 134 General Electric 1.5 MW wind turbines…The 201-megawatt Wind Farm can produce enough clean, renewable energy to power 70,000 homes…Post Rock spans 23,000 acres…The project included the construction of a 31-mile electric transmission line…Kansas based electric utility Westar Energy will purchase the power generated at Post Rock under a 20-year power purchase agreement…The project cost US$375 million…”

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