International Programs

This essay seeks to analyze the wind-power policies of Spain, the United States and the world in order to better understand the past, present and future potentials of the resource. The growing demand for energy, concerns about global warming, and the need for increased energy security encourage societies to embrace domestic, renewable sources of energy. Thus, governments around the world understand the need to develop clean, domestic, and renewable sources of energy such as wind power. Consequently the wind power industry is experiencing a lot of growth thanks to governments that embrace the resource through policy incentives. Currently, wind power is the fastest growing source of energy in the world, and Spain, the leading producer of wind power per capita in the world is proving that wind power can be a viable source of energy. The diverse policies incentives for wind power of Spain and the United States are analyzed and compared to better understand and predict the past, present and future viability of wind power in those nations. Overall, the renewable portfolio standards enacted by several US states currently represent the best legislation that the federal government should adopt to encourage further growth in renewable energy in the US.