The boom in clean energy development, especially wind power, presents a tremendous opportunity for economic growth in the Midwest. This boom would create additional construction jobs, long-term operations and maintenance positions, and a positive indirect economic impact due to payroll spending, property tax revenue and land leases. Some of the best long-term economic opportunities will come directly from the manufacturing of wind turbine components.
As the wind industry continues to grow in the U.S., more wind turbine suppliers are creating jobs here. There are positive economic benefits to the region, and manufacturers also benefit through simplified construction logistics.
Modern wind turbines are enormous high-technology machines with towers close to 300 feet high, blades more than 200 feet long and rotors weighing as much as 100 tons. Manufacturing turbines in proximity to wind farms will be an important consideration because their size makes shipping them very expensive. With the help of more stable and supportive state and federal policies, more wind turbine suppliers are creating jobs in the places where wind energy development is taking place, especially the Midwest. This not only lowers costs but taps into the Midwest’s tremendous manufacturing capabilities and skilled labor pool.
ELPC has created a series of reports on how the positive impact that the wind supply chain will have on the Midwest economy. Use these links to download PDF analyses on the Midwest, the Dakotas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio.
Report date: 2009.
