This week, as the president and congressional leaders met at the White House on energy policy, GE Energy (NYSE: GE) and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) delivered a petition from Americans across the country in the form of a 131-foot wind turbine blade.
The blade traveled more than 4,000 miles through 10 states gathering signatures from Americans who support a clean energy future. It arrived in Washington, D.C., Monday night and was parked in front of the main gate at Nationals Park for the 2010 Congressional Baseball Game on Tuesday.
More than 6,000 Americans signed the turbine blade, which was manufactured in South Dakota. Signees included factory workers, managers, engineers, service and transportation workers, public officials and the general public.
The blade is from a 1.5-MW wind turbine and carries the message: “I’m helping to build America’s energy future.”
The blade is nearly half a football field in length. Including the blade, the height of a 1.5-MW wind turbine is about the same as a 30-story building–more than 75 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
To generate the same amount of electricity as a single 1.5-MW wind turbine operating for 20 years would require burning 43,500 tons of coal or 138,000 barrels of oil and withdrawing 90 million gallons of water per year from a stream or river.
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GE must be glad they aren’t working for Cape Wind with Seimens. Siemens was prosecuted under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and holds a record as one of the 5 biggest cases in the last 4 years. Siemens pleaded guilty in 2008 for massive worldwide bribery and paid $800 million in fines in the US.