Natural Energy Picks Up Wind

Compiled ByJonathan Katz As many U.S. energy industries continue to undergo deregulation, alternative forms of power generation have capitalized on the resulting opportunities, according to a report compiled by Frost & Sullivan, a San Jose-based international marketing and consulting firm. The total market skyrocketed from $204 million in 1998 to $843.4 million in 1999. The wind and biopower energy industries have experienced the highest growth and are expected to continue to climb in the future. But industry analysts say although renewable energy industries have prospered as a result of deregulation, traditional sources of energy will continue to thrive because of their lower costs. "Currently coal and natural gas are cheaper than any form of renewable energy," says Frost & Sullivan analyst Heidi Anderson. "Education about the environmental and social benefits of renewable power must be integrated with information about pollution and other side effects associated with fossil fuel-based power generation." The Frost & Sullivan report analyzed the major power segments of the renewable energy markets, including wind, solar, biopower, and geothermal power.