Wind Power Factory Watch
July 18, 2007: Danish wind turbine blade manufacturer LM Glasfiber announces that it will open a manufacturing plant in Little Rock, Ark. that will employ more than 1,000 people.
May 2, 2007: U.S. wind turbine tower maker DMI Industries announces that it will open a tower manufacturing plant near Tulsa, Okla., that will have half a million square feet of production space and ultimately employ up to 450.
April 25, 2007: Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Acciona says it will open a turbine plant in West Branch, Iowa. The $23-million, 18,000-square-meter facility is expected to employ 109.
March 20, 2007: Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas announces plans to locate a blade manufacturing plant in the northern Colorado community of Windsor. The plant is expected to begin production in early 2008, to be capable of producing 1,200 blades a year, and to employ 400 people.
Wind power is shaping up to be a major engine of economic development in the 21st century, as America turns to clean energy sources to meet the twin challenges of global warming and steadily increasing electricity demand.
Regards,
Tom
Showing posts with label economic development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economic development. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Monday, May 07, 2007
Guest Blog: Wind Power: A Shot in the Arm for Manufacturing
Sometimes overlooked is that wind energy is not only clean and renewable, it creates jobs as well.
By Elizabeth Salerno
Policy Analyst
(From the American Wind Energy Association publication Windletter, March 2007)
Across the U.S, rural towns and cities have lost economic ground from the decline of once-reliable and flourishing industries such as railroad and steel. Many of those towns and cities, though, are now seizing an opportunity to make a comeback.
As the wind industry grows at a rate of nearly 30% per year, the manufacturing and services that provide the foundation of the wind industry have to keep up. From Pennsylvania to Washington, from North Dakota to Louisiana, manufacturing facilities, each of which employ hundreds of workers, are popping up—all because of the demand for wind.
On-the-ground evidence
Although wind energy’s potential contribution to the nation’s energy needs remains huge, it still provides less than 1% of the nation’s electricity. Here’s the upside of that story, though: in spite of its relatively small share of the current energy mix, wind power is already proving to be a powerful catalyst for job creation in the U.S. Better yet, those jobs are usually in manufacturing, a sector often lamented these days for departing the country in search of foreign lands, where labor costs are lower. Wind is countering a trend in this sector, which lost over 2.5 million jobs between 2001 and 2004. Here are just a few examples of how wind has made an economic difference—and take note that these examples can be found all over the country, even in economically hard-hit regions once known for being bustling manufacturing hubs.
Clinton, Ill., was a thriving railroad town at the turn of the 20th century. Today, both the farming and manufacturing sectors underpin the town’s economic stability, and wind energy is doing its part. Trinity Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of tubular wind towers, this year is expanding and renovating its facility in Clinton. Pouring an additional $15 million into the plant, Trinity expects to add 140 new full-time jobs to what will become one of the largest tubular wind tower production facilities in North America.
Fairless Hill, Pa., is the former home of a 2,500-acre U.S. Steel site that once employed as many as 7,000 workers. Employment at the plant started declining in 1982, and steady downsizing followed through the years until only 100 employees were left in 2001. Then in 2006, Spanish company Gamesa Corp. started planting roots in Fairless Hill, building three brand-new facilities on 20 acres of the old U.S. Steel site. The facilities will produce wind towers and blades, and assemble nacelles as well. Putting over $34 million into the plant, Gamesa will employ over 300 workers there. That’s in addition to the 230 jobs Gamesa already provides at its facility in Cambria County in the western part of the state and its North American headquarters in Philadelphia.
Now jump to Grand Forks, N.D., a town devastated by a flood in 1997. Refusing to bow to defeat, the town put in place mechanisms to stimulate economic development, restore the tax base, and rehabilitate its way of life. A wind energy industry company was one that answered the town’s call. In 1998, blade manufacturer LM Glasfiber teamed up as a business partner with the town and has brought over 500 jobs to the town, adding nearly 100 in 2006 and 2007 alone. In 2006, Forbes magazine ranked Grand Forks 28th in the nation for “Best Small Metros in Business & Career.”
In Fort Madison, Iowa, meanwhile, a former Wabash National Corp. facility that once produced trucks until being shut down in 2001 is now being converted by German company Siemens Corp. into a wind blade manufacturing plant. The facility will eventually employ 200 people and will produce 150-foot blades for Siemens’ 2.3-MW wind turbines. With 500 jobs lost as a result of the Wabash plant closing, in addition to the thousands of jobs lost in southeast Iowa due to factory closings across the board, it should have been no surprise that job fairs held last December at two local high schools drew some 2,600 people, all of whom were hoping to land one of those 200 coveted, well-paying jobs at the new blade facility.
While the production of towers and blades obviously provides new jobs and economic growth, the wind energy industry extends far beyond those products. The industry also needs the nuts and bolts to hold together the ladders that go inside the steel towers, which support the nacelles, which house the gearboxes and generators—which in turn need bearings, metal shafts, brake discs, and pumps. Moreover, the large components that make up a wind turbine must be transported to the wind sites by trucking services that can accommodate oversized products; assembled on-site by skilled workers; and finally connected to the grid by electrical engineers.
Training a growing workforce
As the need for manufacturing and construction services expands to accommodate the rapidly growing wind industry, the need for skilled workers is also expanding. Educational institutions are increasingly seeing opportunities to meet that need.
In Cleveland, Wis., Lakeshore Technical College provides a two-year electrical apprenticeship with courses for students interested in wind systems. Lakeshore even provides a course in renewable energy interconnection, allowing students to understand the electrical equipment used in renewable energy systems and the application of the National Electric Code to these systems.
And for students wishing to continue their education in wind, St. Francis University in Pennsylvania is getting ready to offer a graduate business degree in renewable energy with a concentration in wind power, tentatively beginning in the fall. The program will include courses focusing on finance, marketing, environmental science, and project management, and will also have an internship requirement. Finally, with St. Francis developing its own wind farm (scheduled for completion this summer), students will gain hands-on experience working with wind turbines.
Meanwhile, individual wind energy facilities must train workers to keep up with demand. Suzlon Rotor Corp. broke ground in late 2006 on a facility in Pipestone, Minn.; to train employees needed for the plant, which will produce blades and generator cones, the company contributed funds to nearby Minnesota West Community and Technical College. The plant is expected to employ over 300 people.
Will America lose out on this opportunity?
The wind industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and with the demand and need for domestic, clean and available energy sources only increasing, there are no signs of its slowing. The industry has already brought new facilities and thousands of jobs to help meet the needs of installing 2,000-3,000 MW of wind per year in the U.S., making wind the second largest energy source for new electric generation capacity.
The U.S., however, is not the only country that can build wind turbines. Demand for wind energy is growing around the globe. The U.S. installed the most megawatts in 2006 with 2,434 MW, but Germany, India, Spain, and China installed over 1,300 MW each—and over 7,000 MW in total—creating serious global demand for wind turbines. The U.S. already imports most of its turbines from Europe. India and China can build them cost effectively and, with growing demand in those countries, they may play a big role in production in the future. Competition for this attractive industry will be stiff.
In the wind industry, it is cost-effective for suppliers to set up shop near customers, largely because of the transportation costs that go with shipping the giant components. If the U.S. adopted a stable long-term policy to signal the nation’s need for clean and domestic renewable energy, U.S. wind industry manufacturing growth could be catapulted to a whole new level. A long-term extension of the production tax credit, a national renewable portfolio standard, enactment of a federal climate change policy, and Congressional leadership on expanding the transmission grid would each augment the economic and job growth we are already seeing today. And there are numbers to back this up: an analysis from the Union of Concerned Scientists reported that over 300,000 American jobs could be created by a 20% renewable portfolio standard by 2020.
Just as wind’s energy potential has barely been tapped, we have only just begun to see wind’s potential to create economic benefits.
Copyright 2007 - American Wind Energy Association. May be freely re-transmitted electronically, for non-commercial purposes only, provided this notice is included. All other rights reserved.
Sometimes overlooked is that wind energy is not only clean and renewable, it creates jobs as well.
By Elizabeth Salerno
Policy Analyst
(From the American Wind Energy Association publication Windletter, March 2007)
Across the U.S, rural towns and cities have lost economic ground from the decline of once-reliable and flourishing industries such as railroad and steel. Many of those towns and cities, though, are now seizing an opportunity to make a comeback.
As the wind industry grows at a rate of nearly 30% per year, the manufacturing and services that provide the foundation of the wind industry have to keep up. From Pennsylvania to Washington, from North Dakota to Louisiana, manufacturing facilities, each of which employ hundreds of workers, are popping up—all because of the demand for wind.
On-the-ground evidence
Although wind energy’s potential contribution to the nation’s energy needs remains huge, it still provides less than 1% of the nation’s electricity. Here’s the upside of that story, though: in spite of its relatively small share of the current energy mix, wind power is already proving to be a powerful catalyst for job creation in the U.S. Better yet, those jobs are usually in manufacturing, a sector often lamented these days for departing the country in search of foreign lands, where labor costs are lower. Wind is countering a trend in this sector, which lost over 2.5 million jobs between 2001 and 2004. Here are just a few examples of how wind has made an economic difference—and take note that these examples can be found all over the country, even in economically hard-hit regions once known for being bustling manufacturing hubs.
Clinton, Ill., was a thriving railroad town at the turn of the 20th century. Today, both the farming and manufacturing sectors underpin the town’s economic stability, and wind energy is doing its part. Trinity Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of tubular wind towers, this year is expanding and renovating its facility in Clinton. Pouring an additional $15 million into the plant, Trinity expects to add 140 new full-time jobs to what will become one of the largest tubular wind tower production facilities in North America.
Fairless Hill, Pa., is the former home of a 2,500-acre U.S. Steel site that once employed as many as 7,000 workers. Employment at the plant started declining in 1982, and steady downsizing followed through the years until only 100 employees were left in 2001. Then in 2006, Spanish company Gamesa Corp. started planting roots in Fairless Hill, building three brand-new facilities on 20 acres of the old U.S. Steel site. The facilities will produce wind towers and blades, and assemble nacelles as well. Putting over $34 million into the plant, Gamesa will employ over 300 workers there. That’s in addition to the 230 jobs Gamesa already provides at its facility in Cambria County in the western part of the state and its North American headquarters in Philadelphia.
Now jump to Grand Forks, N.D., a town devastated by a flood in 1997. Refusing to bow to defeat, the town put in place mechanisms to stimulate economic development, restore the tax base, and rehabilitate its way of life. A wind energy industry company was one that answered the town’s call. In 1998, blade manufacturer LM Glasfiber teamed up as a business partner with the town and has brought over 500 jobs to the town, adding nearly 100 in 2006 and 2007 alone. In 2006, Forbes magazine ranked Grand Forks 28th in the nation for “Best Small Metros in Business & Career.”
In Fort Madison, Iowa, meanwhile, a former Wabash National Corp. facility that once produced trucks until being shut down in 2001 is now being converted by German company Siemens Corp. into a wind blade manufacturing plant. The facility will eventually employ 200 people and will produce 150-foot blades for Siemens’ 2.3-MW wind turbines. With 500 jobs lost as a result of the Wabash plant closing, in addition to the thousands of jobs lost in southeast Iowa due to factory closings across the board, it should have been no surprise that job fairs held last December at two local high schools drew some 2,600 people, all of whom were hoping to land one of those 200 coveted, well-paying jobs at the new blade facility.
While the production of towers and blades obviously provides new jobs and economic growth, the wind energy industry extends far beyond those products. The industry also needs the nuts and bolts to hold together the ladders that go inside the steel towers, which support the nacelles, which house the gearboxes and generators—which in turn need bearings, metal shafts, brake discs, and pumps. Moreover, the large components that make up a wind turbine must be transported to the wind sites by trucking services that can accommodate oversized products; assembled on-site by skilled workers; and finally connected to the grid by electrical engineers.
Training a growing workforce
As the need for manufacturing and construction services expands to accommodate the rapidly growing wind industry, the need for skilled workers is also expanding. Educational institutions are increasingly seeing opportunities to meet that need.
In Cleveland, Wis., Lakeshore Technical College provides a two-year electrical apprenticeship with courses for students interested in wind systems. Lakeshore even provides a course in renewable energy interconnection, allowing students to understand the electrical equipment used in renewable energy systems and the application of the National Electric Code to these systems.
And for students wishing to continue their education in wind, St. Francis University in Pennsylvania is getting ready to offer a graduate business degree in renewable energy with a concentration in wind power, tentatively beginning in the fall. The program will include courses focusing on finance, marketing, environmental science, and project management, and will also have an internship requirement. Finally, with St. Francis developing its own wind farm (scheduled for completion this summer), students will gain hands-on experience working with wind turbines.
Meanwhile, individual wind energy facilities must train workers to keep up with demand. Suzlon Rotor Corp. broke ground in late 2006 on a facility in Pipestone, Minn.; to train employees needed for the plant, which will produce blades and generator cones, the company contributed funds to nearby Minnesota West Community and Technical College. The plant is expected to employ over 300 people.
Will America lose out on this opportunity?
The wind industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and with the demand and need for domestic, clean and available energy sources only increasing, there are no signs of its slowing. The industry has already brought new facilities and thousands of jobs to help meet the needs of installing 2,000-3,000 MW of wind per year in the U.S., making wind the second largest energy source for new electric generation capacity.
The U.S., however, is not the only country that can build wind turbines. Demand for wind energy is growing around the globe. The U.S. installed the most megawatts in 2006 with 2,434 MW, but Germany, India, Spain, and China installed over 1,300 MW each—and over 7,000 MW in total—creating serious global demand for wind turbines. The U.S. already imports most of its turbines from Europe. India and China can build them cost effectively and, with growing demand in those countries, they may play a big role in production in the future. Competition for this attractive industry will be stiff.
In the wind industry, it is cost-effective for suppliers to set up shop near customers, largely because of the transportation costs that go with shipping the giant components. If the U.S. adopted a stable long-term policy to signal the nation’s need for clean and domestic renewable energy, U.S. wind industry manufacturing growth could be catapulted to a whole new level. A long-term extension of the production tax credit, a national renewable portfolio standard, enactment of a federal climate change policy, and Congressional leadership on expanding the transmission grid would each augment the economic and job growth we are already seeing today. And there are numbers to back this up: an analysis from the Union of Concerned Scientists reported that over 300,000 American jobs could be created by a 20% renewable portfolio standard by 2020.
Just as wind’s energy potential has barely been tapped, we have only just begun to see wind’s potential to create economic benefits.
Copyright 2007 - American Wind Energy Association. May be freely re-transmitted electronically, for non-commercial purposes only, provided this notice is included. All other rights reserved.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Wind Power and the Environment
STATEMENT BY THE AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION
ON THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES’ REPORT ON
WIND ENERGY’S IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
AWEA urges Academy to conduct study of all energy sources
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today responded to the findings of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on the benefits and impacts of wind energy in the Mid-Atlantic region.
According to AWEA’s Executive Director Randall Swisher, “The report verifies the fact that wind energy development’s overall impact on birds is extremely low compared with many other human-related activities. More than a thousand times as many birds are killed flying into buildings, for example, than wind turbines.”
[The report found that in 2003, for example, wind turbines accounted for 0.003% of human-related bird deaths, or 3 of every 100,000.]
Full statement here.
Wind Power Factory Watch--More?
Rumor has it that another wind power manufacturing plant may soon join the ones listed below. Stay tuned.
Regards,
Tom
STATEMENT BY THE AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION
ON THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES’ REPORT ON
WIND ENERGY’S IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT
AWEA urges Academy to conduct study of all energy sources
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today responded to the findings of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on the benefits and impacts of wind energy in the Mid-Atlantic region.
According to AWEA’s Executive Director Randall Swisher, “The report verifies the fact that wind energy development’s overall impact on birds is extremely low compared with many other human-related activities. More than a thousand times as many birds are killed flying into buildings, for example, than wind turbines.”
[The report found that in 2003, for example, wind turbines accounted for 0.003% of human-related bird deaths, or 3 of every 100,000.]
Full statement here.
Wind Power Factory Watch--More?
Rumor has it that another wind power manufacturing plant may soon join the ones listed below. Stay tuned.
Regards,
Tom
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Wind Power Factory Watch
March 20, 2007: Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas announces plans to locate a blade manufacturing plant in the northern Colorado community of Windsor. The plant is expected to begin production in early 2008, to be capable of producing 1,200 blades a year, and to employ 400 people.
April 25, 2007: Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Acciona says it will open a turbine plant in West Branch, Iowa. The $23-million, 18,000-square-meter facility is expected to employ 109.
May 2, 2007: U.S. wind turbine tower maker DMI Industries announces that it will open a tower manufacturing plant near Tulsa, Okla., that will have half a million square feet of production space and ultimately employ up to 450.
Wind power is shaping up to be a major engine of economic development in the 21st century, as America turns to clean energy sources to meet the twin challenges of global warming and steadily increasing electricity demand.
March 20, 2007: Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas announces plans to locate a blade manufacturing plant in the northern Colorado community of Windsor. The plant is expected to begin production in early 2008, to be capable of producing 1,200 blades a year, and to employ 400 people.
April 25, 2007: Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Acciona says it will open a turbine plant in West Branch, Iowa. The $23-million, 18,000-square-meter facility is expected to employ 109.
May 2, 2007: U.S. wind turbine tower maker DMI Industries announces that it will open a tower manufacturing plant near Tulsa, Okla., that will have half a million square feet of production space and ultimately employ up to 450.
Wind power is shaping up to be a major engine of economic development in the 21st century, as America turns to clean energy sources to meet the twin challenges of global warming and steadily increasing electricity demand.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Wind Power and Jobs in Michigan
Long day today, meeting in Michigan to talk about wind power and economic development. Wind would seem to be a perfect fit for the Great Lake State--many people expect it to be one of the largest sources of new manufacturing jobs in the 21st century. We know that fossil fuels are eventually going to run out and that they also carry substantial environmental costs, so there is no time like the present to be thinking about what comes next. Pennsylvania, Iowa and, most recently, Colorado have all managed to attract new wind turbine manufacturing plants in the last couple of years and there are likely to be many more built in the U.S. during the next decade--this country has a huge wind resource, with more energy than all of Saudi Arabia's oil, and it is only a matter of time until we get serious about making it into a mainstream energy supply source.
Perhaps the most interesting talk of the day came from a representative of Clipper Windpower, an Iowa-based manufacturer, who said that one of his company's major problems is keeping its supply of components flowing: "We could build more turbines if we could get the parts."
Long day today, meeting in Michigan to talk about wind power and economic development. Wind would seem to be a perfect fit for the Great Lake State--many people expect it to be one of the largest sources of new manufacturing jobs in the 21st century. We know that fossil fuels are eventually going to run out and that they also carry substantial environmental costs, so there is no time like the present to be thinking about what comes next. Pennsylvania, Iowa and, most recently, Colorado have all managed to attract new wind turbine manufacturing plants in the last couple of years and there are likely to be many more built in the U.S. during the next decade--this country has a huge wind resource, with more energy than all of Saudi Arabia's oil, and it is only a matter of time until we get serious about making it into a mainstream energy supply source.
Perhaps the most interesting talk of the day came from a representative of Clipper Windpower, an Iowa-based manufacturer, who said that one of his company's major problems is keeping its supply of components flowing: "We could build more turbines if we could get the parts."
Monday, April 23, 2007
More Retailers Go for Green Power
Baltimore, Md., retailer bluehouse said April 19 that it is going carbon-neutral, purchasing wind power certificates from Wind Current, a Baltimore company that sells renewable energy certificates to mid-Atlantic homes and businesses. Also in Maryland, Fitzgerald Auto Malls is buying clean energy from wind power for its 12 dealerships in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida, according to the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
Good to see more and more companies joining the green power bandwagon--those of us concerned about environmental and energy issues owe them all a vote of thanks. Meanwhile, I'm heading to Michigan this evening for meetings of the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative (NWCC), a multi-stakeholder group that seeks to promote dialogue about issues relating to wind development in the U.S., and the Michigan Sustainable Business Forum. The NWCC meeting will include a forum on "Wind Energy and Economic Development," something that should be of huge interest in Michigan, given the struggles that state has had with declining employment in the auto industry.
Regards,
Tom
Baltimore, Md., retailer bluehouse said April 19 that it is going carbon-neutral, purchasing wind power certificates from Wind Current, a Baltimore company that sells renewable energy certificates to mid-Atlantic homes and businesses. Also in Maryland, Fitzgerald Auto Malls is buying clean energy from wind power for its 12 dealerships in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida, according to the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
Good to see more and more companies joining the green power bandwagon--those of us concerned about environmental and energy issues owe them all a vote of thanks. Meanwhile, I'm heading to Michigan this evening for meetings of the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative (NWCC), a multi-stakeholder group that seeks to promote dialogue about issues relating to wind development in the U.S., and the Michigan Sustainable Business Forum. The NWCC meeting will include a forum on "Wind Energy and Economic Development," something that should be of huge interest in Michigan, given the struggles that state has had with declining employment in the auto industry.
Regards,
Tom
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