Green Eco: The United States falls behind

And rapidly further and further, where once we led in most area's, reason for our once growing economic strength and more, as these others envied our progress, no more!

The United States falls behind Germany in renewable energy investment}

Experts say uncertainty in the US scares green investors away, unlike in China and Germany.

Cranes stand next to a row of wind turbine masts under construction on Aug. 20, 2010 near Linthe, Germany. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

April 18, 2011 - In the rough and blustery North Sea, almost 30 miles off Germany’s coast, 12 wind turbines tower over the water, with rotors longer than football fields.

Like most wind turbines, those that make up the Alpha Ventus Offshore Wind Farm have gearboxes that transmit the power of the rotors to much faster-spinning cogs that generate electricity.

The strain from wind turbulence makes these gearboxes the most fragile part of the turbines and a true engineering headache.

Six of the Alpha Ventus gearboxes are made by Renk, a 130-year-old engineering company based in Augsburg, southern Germany. The three decades in which Renk has been involved with wind turbines haven’t always been easy, said Toni Weiss, general manager of Renk’s industrial gear division. But he estimates the firm is now five to seven years ahead of most rivals.

“It hasn’t always worked perfectly … there have been hiccups. But we feel quite at home in this field," Weiss said. "There was discussion in the political arena about whether wind is something that really helps us and if it is really efficient, but … these arguments have disappeared and there is hardly anybody now who says wind turbines are not worthwhile.” {continued}