Texas has approximately 9,727 MW of wind energy capacity installed, making it a global leader in installed wind energy. As a result of the significant investment the wind industry has brought to Texas, it is important to better understand the economic development impacts of wind energy in Texas. This report analyzes the jobs and economic impacts of 1,000 MW of wind power generation in the state. The impacts highlighted in this report can be used in policy and planning decisions and can be scaled to get a sense of the economic development opportunities associated with other wind scenarios. This report can also inform stakeholders in other states about the potential economic impacts associated with the development of 1,000 MW of new wind power generation and the relationships of different elements in the state economy.
Texas has approximately 9,727 MW of wind energy capacity installed, making it a global leader in installed wind energy. As a result of the significant investment the wind industry has brought to Texas, it is important to better understand the economic development impacts of wind energy in Texas. This report analyzes the jobs and economic impacts of 1,000 MW of wind power generation in the state. The impacts highlighted in this report can be used in policy and planning decisions and can be scaled to get a sense of the economic development opportunities associated with other wind scenarios. This report can also inform stakeholders in other states about the potential economic impacts associated with the development of 1,000 MW of new wind power generation and the relationships of different elements in the state economy.
This fact sheet summarizes the findings of a report authored by Sandra Reategui and Suzanne Tegen of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). A confluence of events ignited soaring growth in the number of Colorado?s wind power installations in recent years, from 291 megawatts (MW) of nameplate capacity in 2006 to 1,067 MW (nameplate capacity) in 2007. Analyzing the economic impact of Colorado?s first 1,000 MW of wind energy development not only provides a summary of benefits now enjoyed by the state?s population, but it also provides a sense of the economic development opportunities associated with other new wind project scenarios, including the U.S. Department of Energy?s 20% Wind Energy by 2030 scenario. The analysis can be used by interested parties in other states as an example of the potential economic impacts if they were to adopt 1,000 MW of wind power development.
Wind power is a fast growing alternative energy source. Since 2000, wind energy capacity has increased 24 percent per year with Texas leading the U.S. in installed wind turbine capacity. Most socioeconomic research in wind energy has focused on understanding local opposition, especially aesthetic impacts on the surrounding landscape. Recent studies have addressed reasons for social acceptance of wind farms, suggesting that positions both favorable and unfavorable to wind power are subtle and intricate, rather than monolithic, and rooted in place-specific issues. In the case of Texas, scholars have reported that the minimal permitting process is the dominant variable that explains the rapid rise of wind power in the state?s western region. However, scholars have yet to study the place-based local or regional factors that structure and inform acceptance of wind energy by key actors who negotiate with wind-energy firms. This thesis presents empirically determined, statistically significant social perspectives regarding socioeconomic wind energy impacts. I determined social perspectives by using Q-Method in Nolan County, Texas, a major site of wind-power development. Q-Method allows researchers to generalize about social perspectives, but not about how widely or deeply populations ascribe to social perspectives. Q-Method combines qualitative and quantitative techniques beginning with semi-structured interviews to collect statements on wind power, followed by participant ranking of statements on a?most disagree? to?most agree? scale. Key actors surveyed included landowners with wind turbines, elected and civilservice government officials, and prominent local business and community leaders. My findings identified five significant clusters of opinion, two of which shared strong support for wind energy on the basis of perceived positive economic impacts. Three clusters of opinion were less favorable to wind energy; these arguments were based upon opposition to tax abatements, support of tax abatements, and concerns over negative impacts to the community. Consensus emerged over the idea that positive views toward wind-energy development were unrelated to broader commitments to renewable energy. The support of key actors in favor of wind energy is contingent upon direct financial benefits from wind-energy royalties, political views on taxes, notions of landscape aesthetics, and sense of community.
This report analyzes the economic impacts that the installation of 1000 MW of wind power have had in the state of Colorado. These impacts can be scaled to obtain a sense of the economic development opportunities associated with other new wind scenarios, including the 20% Wind Energy by 2030 scenario. This report can also be used by interested parties in other states that currently lack a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) as an example of the potential economic impacts if they were to adopt 1000 MW of wind power development.
Energy is becoming a prominent driver of economic development. Each year, billions of dollars are invested around the world by the public and private sectors in low-emissions energy development and energy efficiency planning. Energy-based economic development (EBED) is a domain that seizes the opportunities inherent in clean energy development to drive innovation and generate economic growth. Energy-based economic development: How clean energy can drive development and stimulate economic growth delivers working definitions, common approaches, descriptions of supportive policy mechanisms, and suggested metrics for evaluation. The book offers a unified framework for EBED that is supported by examples and leaves readers better equipped to design, plan, and implement EBED initiatives. Case studies illustrate how national and subnational initiatives adopt to a locale’s energy asset base, energy and economic development needs, and the context in which the initiative operates. Descriptions of the energy projects supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act offer insights about what worked and what did not and suggest ways in which governments can be better prepared to manage EBED projects in the future. This book provides the tools necessary to work toward simultaneous energy and economic development goals and facilitates discussion for an advanced policy agenda of energy efficiency, energy diversification, innovation-led economic growth, and job creation.
This study presents options to speed up the deployment of wind power, both onshore and offshore, until 2050. It builds on IRENA’s global roadmap to scale up renewables and meet climate goals.
More than ever, travelers are encountering a different sort of landscape, one not only of nature but of technology. Wind Power in View is the first authoritative discourse on the aesthetic impact of wind turbines on the landscape and what can be done about it. It is a detailed and thoroughly illustrated discussion of the issue from several different perspectives. The book also provides an overview of the status of wind energy at the dawn of the new millennium, examines some of the ongoing battles, and offers guidelines on minimizing its visual impact.Taking examples from the United States, Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, and Sweden, Wind Power in View is the first book to tackle the thorny land use questions raised by wind energy's hard won respectability. What will be the future of wind energy? Will it be welcomed as savior, or will it be opposed as a new-age intrusion on open space and landscape preservation? These 11 essays, international in nature and written by objective experts, address landscape issues in creative, original ways. International focus, with examples from Germany, Denmark, Great Britain, Sweden and the United StatesThe first book to tackle land use questions raised by wind energy's hard won respectabilityAddresses landscape issues in creative, original ways
