New Report on Economic Benefits of Wind Energy

Wind turbines, Burleigh County, ND

A new study concludes that  both personal income and employment were increased by recent wind energy projects in the counties included in the research, which was done by the USDA Economic Research Service, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  The researchers looked at economic data from 1,009 counties in 12 windy states, including North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. Among the sources of economic benefits analyzed in the study were direct employment during construction and operation, lease payments to landowners, demand for local goods and services, tax payments and other spending. Read more