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newsroom Wind Energy in the NewsWind Industry Employing 50,000: AWEA to House Small Business Committee With the federal production tax credit (PTC) expiration date looming over the industry, wind power now employs some 50,000 Americans (directly and indirectly) and created as many as 10,000 new domestic jobs in 2007 alone, AWEA Senior Director of Government Affairs Greg Wetstone testified in a hearing on “green technologies” and economic growth conducted by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Small Business Committee. “[S]ince January 2007, 28 new wind industry manufacturing plants have been opened or announced in 15 states across the nation, and by the end of this year, the U.S. will have at least eight different blade manufacturers (up from two in 2005) with a total of eleven U.S. manufacturing locations employing over 5,000 people,” he said. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s recently released “20% Wind Energy by 2030” feasibility report, the industry could spur the creation of more than 500,000 domestic jobs. The wind industry can increasingly provide ample opportunity for small businesses and job creation, Wetstone said. With some 8,000 parts going into a wind turbine, a turbine assembly plant operating at the end of the complex industry supply chain can be expected to rely on some 400 sub-suppliers, “many of which are typically small businesses,” he noted. “These companies produce critical wind turbine components like gears, bearings, electrical parts, composites for blades, and provide maintenance for wind turbines. They are in the shipping and transportation business and they work on construction as wind farms go up around the country.” In light of the kinds of numbers that the industry is contributing to the otherwise-sluggish economy, Wetstone underscored the importance of renewing the PTC, which is set to expire at the end of the year, as well as implementing long-term federal policy and investment incentives in order to continue industry growth. Wetstone cited the uncertainty looming over the industry, stressing that “investors want to know that tax policies will apply before they commit to projects,” and that the expiration of the PTC would place more than $11 billion in clean energy investment at risk. As indicated by all other witnesses testifying, wind energy is not the only industry interested in securing long-term policies for green technologies. Echoing Wetstone’s remarks concerning the need for stable policies were small business owners from the National Electrical Contractors Association, Air Conditioning Contractors of America, National Association of Home Builders, Plumbing-Heating-Cooling-Contractors Association, and the Solar Energy Industries Association. Source: Wind Energy Weekly, 11 July 2008
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