Economic Impacts of Wind Turbine Development in U.S. Counties
Economic Impacts of Wind Turbine Development in U.S. Counties

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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The objective is to address the research question using post-project construction, county-level data, and econometric evaluation methods. Wind energy is expanding rapidly in the United States: Over the last 4 years, wind power has contributed approximately 35 percent of all new electric power capacity. Wind power plants are often developed in rural areas where local economic development impacts from the installation are projected, including land lease and property tax payments and employment growth during plant construction and operation. Wind energy represented 2.3 percent of the U.S. electricity supply in 2010, but studies show that penetrations of at least 20 percent are feasible. Several studies have used input-output models to predict direct, indirect, and induced economic development impacts. These analyses have often been completed prior to project construction. Available studies have not yet investigated the economic development impacts of wind development at the county level using post-construction econometric evaluation methods. Analysis of county-level impacts is limited. However, previous county-level analyses have estimated operation-period employment at 0.2 to 0.6 jobs per megawatt (MW) of power installed and earnings at $9,000/MW to $50,000/MW. We find statistically significant evidence of positive impacts of wind development on county-level per capita income from the OLS and spatial lag models when they are applied to the full set of wind and non-wind counties. The total impact on annual per capita income of wind turbine development (measured in MW per capita) in the spatial lag model was $21,604 per MW. This estimate is within the range of values estimated in the literature using input-output models. OLS results for the wind-only counties and matched samples are similar in magnitude, but are not statistically significant at the 10-percent level. We find a statistically significant impact of wind development on employment in the OLS analysis for wind counties only, but not in the other models. Our estimates of employment impacts are not precise enough to assess the validity of employment impacts from input-output models applied in advance of wind energy project construction. The analysis provides empirical evidence of positive income effects at the county level from cumulative wind turbine development, consistent with the range of impacts estimated using input-output models. Employment impacts are less clear.

Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects
Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2007-09-27

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 0309108349

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The generation of electricity by wind energy has the potential to reduce environmental impacts caused by the use of fossil fuels. Although the use of wind energy to generate electricity is increasing rapidly in the United States, government guidance to help communities and developers evaluate and plan proposed wind-energy projects is lacking. Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects offers an analysis of the environmental benefits and drawbacks of wind energy, along with an evaluation guide to aid decision-making about projects. It includes a case study of the mid-Atlantic highlands, a mountainous area that spans parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. This book will inform policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels.

The Influence of Wind Power on Rural Areas
The Influence of Wind Power on Rural Areas

Author: Eman Shoeib

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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Wind power development has rapidly expanded in the United States. Much of this growth occurred in rural areas because of the availability of land and wind resources required to power turbines. The economic promise of wind power projects is particularly appealing for rural areas whose traditional economic base (typically agricultural) no longer supports as many households as it once did. Numerous studies have found that wind power projects have positive economic impacts on rural areas. What is less well understood is the effect of these wind power farms on other indicators of development, such as municipal services, demographic change, and quality of life. This dissertation examined the effects of wind power development on the economy, society, and community services in rural counties in the United States. The dissertation utilizes a mixed-methods approach, including both statistical analyses of secondary data, as well as the analysis of primary data collected through interviews. I use two longitudinal data analysis models, mixed effect model and fixed effect model with a quasi-experimental approach, to measure the net economic and demographic impacts of wind development on rural counties. The primary data addressed the effects of substantial wind development on eleven rural counties when they hosted substantial wind farms over 1000 MW. The results of the statistical analysis show a small significant effect of wind development on rural economies in term of increasing per capita income, median household income, farm income, and per capita employment. It also has a significant effect on decreasing the poverty rate. Results of the primary data analysis show that wind power development increased the tax revenue of the rural community without any required public services or increases in population size of the rural communities. I find that counties with larger populations benefit more from wind development, particularly during the construction phase. Substantial wind development leads to an increase in municipal finances of rural counties. This increase has been reflected in improvements on the community services without any negative social impacts. Wind development is a suitable economic source to diversify the rural economy.

Quantifying the Economic Development Impacts of Wind Power in Six Rural Montana Counties Using NREL's JEDI Model ; Period of Performance
Quantifying the Economic Development Impacts of Wind Power in Six Rural Montana Counties Using NREL's JEDI Model ; Period of Performance

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 42

ISBN-13:

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The economic development potential that wind power offers is often an overlooked aspect of today's wind power projects. Much has been written about how wind can spur economic development, but few have attempted to quantify these impacts. Using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Jobs, Economic Development, and Impacts Model (JEDI), the author examined six counties in Montana to quantify these impacts. The overriding project goal was to illuminate economic development opportunities from wind project development for six Montana counties using an objective economic modeling tool. Interested stakeholders include the agriculture community, wind developers, renewable energy advocates, government officials, and other decision-makers. The Model was developed to enable spreadsheet users with limited or no economic modeling background to easily identify the statewide economic impacts associated with constructing and operating wind power plants. The Model's User Add-In feature allows users to conduct county-specific analyses using county IMPLAN (Impact Analysis for PLANning) multipliers, while state-level multipliers are contained within the Model as default values for all 50 states.

Perceived Socioeconomic Impacts of Wind Energy in West Texas
Perceived Socioeconomic Impacts of Wind Energy in West Texas

Author: Nicole D. Persons

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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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.

The Renewable Energy Landscape
The Renewable Energy Landscape

Author: Dean Apostol

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2016-08-19

Total Pages: 327

ISBN-13: 1317211022

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Winner of the 2017 EDRA Great Places Award (Research Category) Winner of the 2017 VT ASLA Chapter Award of Excellence (Communications Category) The Renewable Energy Landscape is a definitive guide to understanding, assessing, avoiding, and minimizing scenic impacts as we transition to a more renewable energy future. It focuses attention, for the first time, on the unique challenges solar, wind, and geothermal energy will create for landscape protection, planning, design, and management. Topics addressed include: Policies aimed at managing scenic impacts from renewable energy development and their social acceptance within North America, Europe and Australia Visual characteristics of energy facilities, including the design and planning techniques for avoiding or mitigating impacts or improving visual fit Methods of assessing visual impacts or energy projects and the best practices for creating and using visual simulations Policy recommendations for political and regulatory bodies. A comprehensive and practical book, The Renewable Energy Landscape is an essential resource for those engaged in planning, designing, or regulating the impacts of these new, critical energy sources, as well as a resource for communities that may be facing the prospect of development in their local landscape.

Economic Development Impacts of Wind Power--Case Studies Fact Sheet
Economic Development Impacts of Wind Power--Case Studies Fact Sheet

Author: NWCC Economic Development Work Group

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

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OAK-B135 Interest in wind power development is growing as a means of expanding local economies. Such development holds promise as a provider of short-term employment during facility construction and long-term employment from ongoing facility operation and maintenance (O&M). It may also add to the supply of electric power in the area and support some expansion of the local economy through ripple effects resulting from initial increases in jobs and income. These ripple effects stem from subsequent expenditures for goods and services made possible by first-round income from the development, and are expressed in terms of a multiplier. If the local economy offers a wide range of goods and services the resulting multiplier can be substantial--as much as three or four. If not, then much of the initial income will leave the local economy to buy goods and services from elsewhere. Loss of initial income to other locales is referred to as a leakage. While there is a growing body of information about the local impacts of wind power, the economic impacts from existing wind power developments have not been thoroughly and consistently analyzed. Northwest Economic Associates, under contract to the National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC), conducted a study and produced a report entitled ''Assessing the Economic Development Impacts of Wind Power.'' The primary objective of the study was to provide examples of appropriate analyses and documentation of economic impacts from wind power development, using case studies of three existing projects in the United States. The findings from the case studies are summarized here; more detail is available in the report, available at NWCC's website http://www.nationalwind.org/. It should be noted that specific results presented apply only to the respective locales studied and are not meant to be representative of wind power in general. However, qualitative findings, discussed below, are likely to be replicated in most areas where wind development occurs.