Wind Power: Wages For Americans

[kenneyjoe330]

Everytime I read about wind turbines I always wonder about the Western Reserve School Complex on 224 and wow are they adding more buildings.  How are the turbines working out so far?  Are the high school students learning about wind energy?  It is so close - the last time I passed by all three propellers (?  ?) looked like they were turning nicely. 

[irishbobcat]

Wind Power: Wages For Americans

Where are the green jobs of the future? The answer is blowing in the wind.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that U.S. wind-generating capacity grew by 39 percent from 2004 to 2009. Future expansion means the number of jobs will likely grow with it "with many opportunities for workers in search of new careers.

"These careers extend beyond the wind farm," the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says. "It also takes the efforts of workers in factories and offices to build and operate a turbine."

But don't necessarily expect a job windfall. Wind generation is still only a whisper in the nation's overall energy market, representing about 1.8 percent of the nation's energy generation in 2009.

Still, the U.S. Department of Energy suggests that it isn't out of the question for wind power by 2030 to generate 20 percent of the energy the U.S. needs.

The American Wind Energy Association says about 85,000 Americans currently work in wind and related industries.

Most of those are tied to wind farms, with Texas, California and Iowa being leaders, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says. But various states - including Washington, Illinois, Indiana and Oregon - are ramping up to do more.

Most of the jobs in this industry are in manufacturing. Construction, operation and maintenance are just behind.

A wind turbine contains about 8,000 parts and can be up to 300 feet high, or the length of a football field. It's a big piece of machinery with three main parts: the blades, tower and boxes with the turbine's gears and other components.

People have to produce, operate and maintain all of it.

And more people - including folks in related industries - will be needed for those efforts as wind generation work expands.

It would be cruel to allow China to lay claim to wind technology when the United States has all the abilities right here at home.

Fortunately, this is one industry where jobs can originate from thin air.