CNN reported recently that some Rust Belt Manufacturers have seen the Green Light -- Or more accurately the Green Money options in supplying the Wind Industry, instead of the Auto Industry. Instead of shutting those Factory doors forever, many shop-owners have decided to turn over a new leaf ....
Wind Turbines are replacing Auto Parts, as the Product to build in Ohio:
Forecast for future: windy & oh-so green Dec 15, 2008
Strickland said 50 Ohio manufacturers now serve the wind industry - and three times that many want to get into it. Ohio has aggressive plans that will require at least 25 percent of the state's electric power to come from alternate sources - half of that from renewable energy like wind and solar.
At the conference, Strickland said wind industry can create 30,000 "energy jobs" in Ohio.
The Ohio Governor encouraged Michigan to do the same, and chase the Wind:
"Last week Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland signed legislation creating a real market for renewable energy in Ohio and aggressively positioning Ohio manufacturers to compete in the growing wind energy market. It is not too late for Michigan to do the same," said Hans Detweiler, AWEA Manager of State Legislation.
According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), we are still just scratching the surface of what Wind Energy can do to put us on the road to Energy Independence and a cleaner Future:
How much energy can wind realistically supply to the U.S.?
Wind energy could supply about 20% of the nation's electricity, according to Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory, a federal research lab. Wind energy resources useful for generating electricity can be found in nearly every state.
THE TOP TWENTY STATES
for Wind Energy Potential as measured by annual energy potential in the billions of kWh, factoring in environmental and land use exclusions for wind class of 3 and higher.
Billions of kWh/Yr 1. North Dakota 1,210
2. Texas 1,190
3. Kansas 1,070
4. South Dakota 1,030
5. Montana 1,020
6. Nebraska 868
7. Wyoming 747
8. Oklahoma 725
9. Minnesota 657
10. Iowa 551
11. Colorado 481
12. New Mexico 435
13. Idaho 73
14. Michigan 65
15. New York 62
16. Illinois 61
17. California 59
18. Wisconsin 58
19. Maine 56
20. Missouri 52
The Wind Market is SO Hot, and the Potential SO Great --
that they are having a hard time finding Qualified Workers:
Job Market
Wind energy hasn't blown in enough workers by DAVID TWIDDY -- Associated Press -- Feb 24, 2008
"Finding experienced techs is impossible with wind growing as fast as it is," Martinson said. "You get one year's worth of experience, and it's like dog years."
...
Last year, wind farms installed almost 3,200 turbines, boosting the nation's wind-energy capacity by 45 percent and cranking out an additional 5,200 megawatts, or enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes for a year.
The industry, which now accounts for a little more than 1 percent of the U.S. electric supply, expects to repeat that surge in 2008.
Critics of wind power have called the mammoth turbines eyesores, and environmentalists have fought against them, warning the giant rotors could pose a hazard to migratory birds and other wildlife.
But wind-power officials see a much larger obstacle coming in the form of its own work force, a highly specialized group of technicians that combines working knowledge of mechanics, hydraulics, computers and meteorology with the willingness to climb 200 feet in the air in all kinds of weather.
That work force isn't keeping up with the future demand, partly because the industry is so new that the oldest independent training programs are less than five years old.
...
Park developers, turbine manufacturers and utilities are investing in training programs, attempting to lure workers with wages of up to $25 an hour, or teaming up with the growing number of wind-energy training programs offered at community and technical colleges.
