According to a report released by the Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP), boosting U.S. wind energy installations by about eight times today’s levels could create 150,000 wind jobs nationwide. Most of the jobs would be added in the 20 states that have lost the most jobs over the past three years.
The report states that 90 companies in 25 states currently manufacture wind turbine components, and over 16,000 companies across the 50 states have the technical potential to enter the wind turbine market.
REPP sought to estimate the possible extent and location of manufacturing activities that could result from an expansion to 50,000 MW which would pump $50 billion worth of investment into the economy and generate enough electricity to power 14 to 15 million households (3% of U.S. electricity supply).
The 20 states that would benefit most are home to 75% of total U.S. population and account for 76% of the manufacturing jobs lost in the last 3 years. They include California, Ohio, Texas, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.
The REPP study focused on jobs that could be created in manufacturing, and did not quantify the job creation that would also flow into other sectors such as construction, transportation, marketing, financial and other services.
The full report is available at:
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