This Week's Herman Trend Alert Demand-Driven Workforce Development

The Herman Trend Alert May 16, 2007 Blowin' in the Wind Concerned about how society will manage its energy needs without using fossil fuels? Back in the 1960s, Buckminster Fuller predicted that by the year 2020, wind and solar would be our main sources of energy. Wind is perhaps the most overlooked source of energy generation. In fact, the United States has some of the best wind resources in the world. Wind turbines give utilities an attractive energy solution with minimal environmental impact. And most impressive, a wind farm can be on line, generating electricity, in a matter of months, while it takes years to establish a coal-burning or nuclear power plant. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the US wind industry installed more than 2.4 gigawatts of new wind capacity during the year; the Renewables division of General Electric supplied 764 of its 1.5-megawatt wind turbines, representing 45 percent of the country's new wind capacity. Each of GE's wind turbines is 213-feet high. The blades collect the energy, transmit it to torque, which is then transformed into energy that can used by the generator. The bigger the rotor, the more wind can be harvested, so we are now seeing giant wind turbines being located at sea. Over the course of 20 years, a 100-megawatt wind farm will displace the need for nearly one million tons of coal, or nearly 600 million cubic meters of natural gas. Through the use of GE's installed wind turbines, as much as 11.4 million tons of greenhouse gases will not be emitted each year. See how wind turbines are being made aesthetically pleasing; view the Architectural Wind. Over 86 percent of the world's wind generation capacity is divided between Europe (72 percent) and the United States (14 percent). In the US, wind-generated power now represents less than one percent of US-generated electricity. The European targets for wind power growth are substantial. Wind is expected to deliver 33 percent of all new electricity generation capacity and provide electricity for 86 million Europeans by 2010. By 2020, China expects to generate 30 gigawatts of electricity annually, enough to power millions of households. © Copyright 1998-2008 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." DON'T BE LEFT BEHIND! If you've been thinking about attending our valuable Employee Retention Specialist Certificate Program, don't delay--only three spaces remain. With the employment market heating up, many positions are literally impossible to fill. Attend this course and you will learn dozens of low-/no-cost valuable strategies to attract and retain the talent you need. Recertification credit from HRCI. Next program: May 22-23, Charleston, SC. Call Carol at 336-282-9370 or visit http://www.employeeretentionspecialist.com. GET INSIDE THE MINDS OF YOUR EMPLOYEES Find out what's really going on inside the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-648-1918 or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. NEW BABY BONUS Book Joyce to speak on the West Coast in 2008 and receive 100 of her books of your choosing. There is a new baby in the family, Spencer Jay, and Joyce would appreciate more opportunities to watch him grow. For more about Joyce, visit http://www.hermangroup.com/joyce.html or call Joyce at 336-210-3548. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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