Wind turbine manufacturers can't meet demand

Creating a lightweight, completely smooth, extremely strong, perfectly formed piece of fiberglass that's longer than the wingspan of a 747 isn't easy. And, once it's made, it's not easy to ship it and two of its twins, out to the folks who want it either.

Capturing energy from wind has become increasingly economical as turbines have increased in size. But it's also become much more complicated. And that falling price combined with complicated logistics is a recipe for delays.

If you want a wind farm today, and have the billions of bucks it takes to get one, you'll have to wait up to two years before you get your turbines. Planned wind farms are being delayed even after they've been approved and secured financing.

The bad news is that this means slower growth in wind energy production in the near-term. The good news is that investors see the shortage as an obvious sign that they should be dumping billions of dollars into helping manufacturers grow.

Ideally, this investment will not only end the supply shortages, but significantly increase the amount of new wind projects installed per year.

Via CNet GreenTech