Putting aside the very real limits to the growth of wind power, the installed base of renewables would have to grow at a compound rate of more than 12% a year to reach 20% of the national electricity mix within a decade.

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It now has the largest installed base of wind power in the world, and is targeting to have 20 percent of its energy sourced from renewables by 2020.

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Because geothermal produces consistent, base-load power--it doesn't depend on the wind blowing or the sun shining--utilities will pay up to three times more for geothermal electricity than for electricity from an intermittent source, like wind.

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The base is also taking advantage of wind, solar, and biomass resources to provide secure electrical power for the installation.

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So GE is determined to come out with a battery system that will store energy, but the investment costs are enormous as it needs to develop a massive storage system for a huge global customer base, says Wlliam Schmitz, president and CEO of WindTamer (WNDT), a maker of wind power generators utilizing proprietary technology for elecrtric generation and energy management.

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