Progress Illinois

Buried in a mountain of news about our financial woes, the State Journal-Register highlights one area of Illinois’ economy that continues to grow: wind power.

In downstate Logan County, reporter Chris Young looks on as a crew -- more than 200 workers in all -- hoses down blades at the 67-turbine Rail Splitter Wind Farm, which is under construction near the town Lincoln:

Just stopping at the row of construction trailers a quarter mile off Illinois 136 where various contractors have set up shop, it’s clear that wind energy has moved past the curiosity stage to big business.

“This is the tip of the iceberg in central Illinois as far as the wind industry is concerned,” says Michael Parker of Horizon Wind Energy of Bloomington.

The American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) latest industry analysis provides encouraging data. Not only did wind capacity increase by 50 percent across the country last year and cut 44 million tons of carbon emissions from the air -- the equivalent of taking 7 million cars off of the road -- the projects pumped $17 billion into the economy.  In fact, more people now work for the wind industry -- 85,000 last year -- than in coal mining. 

AWEA points out that this growth is bolstering the otherwise shrinking U.S. manufacturing base:

[T]he share of domestically manufactured wind turbine components has grown from under 30% in 2005 to about 50% in 2008. Wind turbine and turbine component manufacturers announced, added or expanded 70 new facilities in the past two years, including over 55 in 2008 alone. Those new manufacturing facilities created 13,000 new direct jobs in 2008.

Given the tremendous -- and ongoing -- investment in wind power here in Illinois, it’s no surprise that the state ranked 8th nationwide last year in terms of wind-generating capacity.  But as we’ve noted before, maintaining an edge will require lawmakers in Springfield to start thinking more strategically. Most of the state’s wind policy thus far has been set by rural county boards and suburban municipalities. It’s time that state lawmakers got serious about creating policies that will keep Illinois at the forefront of reshaping both the power grid and nation’s energy strategy.

UPDATE (12/31): Salon's Andrew Leonard calls into question AWEA's assertion that wind industry now employs more Americans than the coal industry.  His conclusion is worth noting:

The key takeaway shouldn't be employment, but growth rates. The U.S. registered a 50 percent increase in installed wind power capacity in 2008 and the wind industry accounted for 42 percent of all new electricity generation. The recession will take its toll on those numbers in 2009, but with a Democratic Congress including renewable energy incentives in the stimulus package, future momentum is all but assured.

Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user stuant63.