The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) teamed with the BlueGreen Alliance and the United Steelworkers to write Winds of Change: A Manufacturing Blueprint for the Wind Industry.
The report highlights growth for wind energy despite the absence of a long-term and stable market for wind energy, or policies to support the manufacturing sector of wind energy.
While the growth in wind energy manufacturing has grown steadily from 2500 workers in 2004 to 18,500 in 2009, tens of thousands of additional jobs manufacturing wind energy turbines and components could be created with supportive policies, it notes.
“Moving to clean energy is just one piece of the puzzle; we need to ensure that America’s clean energy economy is built by US workers and creates good manufacturing jobs,” explains Leo Gerard, international President of the United Steelworkers.
“By including common-sense policies like a 25% Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) and an extended Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit, in comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation, we can build a wind energy supply chain in the US.”
RES calls for 25% renewable energy by 2025
AWEA and the USW recently agreed a framework agreement to accelerate development and deployment of wind energy production in the USA. The report recommends a Federal RES of 25% by 2025 with meaningful mid-term targets, regulation of GHG emissions, and policies specifically aimed at building the US wind energy manufacturing sector.
In addition to a RES, specific policies aimed at building the wind energy manufacturing sector include extending and strengthening the Recovery Act’s convertible tax credit program, fully funding the Green Jobs Act, building a transmission grid infrastructure to meet the demand for clean energy, and using loan guarantee programs for commercial manufacturing of clean energy.
“Wind energy provides one of the most promising sources of new manufacturing jobs for American workers,” explains Rob Gramlich of AWEA. “This report shows how the right policies such as a RES will build the supply chain and create those jobs.”
“The American wind industry has made impressive strides towards increasing domestic content in installed wind turbines and has brought thousands of jobs online in manufacturing,” the report concludes.
“However, the wind manufacturing sector is still developing, with the opportunity to bring tens of thousands of additional jobs online.”
“In order to justify investment in opening new facilities and expanding or retooling existing facilities, Congress must take action to ensure a long-term, stable wind energy market,” it adds.
“Coupled with other policies to support the US manufacturing sector, these actions would enable the wind industry to develop robust supply chains and employ thousands of Americans in good, clean energy jobs.”
| "...don’t replace our dependence on foreign oil with a dependence on Chinese-made wind turbines." |
| - Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown from Ohio |
From one dependence to another
“Failure to act presents the very real danger that the United States will fall further behind in the race for clean energy and the manufacturing jobs that come along with it,” adds David Foster of the BlueGreen Alliance.
“We need to pass a comprehensive plan now to establish the US as the global leader in clean energy technologies.”
“This report represents a major alignment between our goals for energy independence and creating the clean energy jobs of the future,” says Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown from Ohio.
“This manufacturing blueprint is a critical step toward ensuring that we don’t replace our dependence on foreign oil with a dependence on Chinese-made wind turbines.”
Senator Brown is promoting the IMPACT Act, which would create a state-level revolving loan fund to help small- and medium-sized manufacturers retool for clean energy markets and adopt energy efficient manufacturing.
AWEA is the US trade association for wind energy, with 2500 member companies. The BlueGreen Alliance is a national partnership of labor unions and environmental groups working to expand the clean energy economy. The United Steelworkers is the largest industrial union in North America, representing 850,000 workers in manufacturing and energy sectors.