Across America, wind farms are revitalizing rural economies by introducing new sources of income for towns, counties, and families. These predictable, long-term revenue streams are breathing new life into communities by supporting investments and spending that benefit everyone. Here are several examples of how this is happening:
In 2022 alone, wind farms delivered $2 billion in revenue for communities across the country through property, local, and state taxes, as well as lease payments to private landowners. These predictable, long-term sources of new funding are game changers that allow towns and counties to plan for the future and invest in essential services like roads, schools, hospitals, and public safety. And some counties, like O’Brien County, Iowa, have even decided to reduce property taxes thanks to the revenue from wind!
In 2022 alone, wind farms delivered $2 billion in revenue for communities across the country through property, local, and state taxes, as well as lease payments to private landowners.
Nearly 126,000 Americans across all 50 states work in the wind industry, and many of these jobs are operations and maintenance positions based in communities that host wind farms. In fact, wind turbine technician is the fastest-growing job in the country, with the number of positions in this field expected to increase 45% over the next ten years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Among the Americans working in the industry, approximately 24,000 are employed in manufacturing jobs at more than 450 factories throughout the country.
Harvesting the wind is a great way for farmers and ranchers to generate extra income from their land. Hosting wind turbines is just like growing crops or raising cattle, but it doesn’t use much land and the income is predictable, drought- and weather-resistant, and not subject to changing commodity prices. Most landowners find that the income from turbines makes a real difference in their finances, and for some, it can mean the difference between keeping or losing the family farm.
Beyond tax and land-lease payments, hosting a wind energy project brings a wide range of indirect economic benefits to the local community. Injecting more money into the local economy means residents have more to spend on goods and services. And by enhancing the local tax base, wind projects support investments in roads, schools, and essential services like hospitals and fire departments, thereby contributing to a higher standard of living for all.
Communities that host wind energy projects are also attractive to companies that want to power their operations with inexpensive, clean, renewable energy. When new businesses invest in an area, this creates new jobs and increases tax revenue, further growing the local economy – something that can give younger generations greater confidence in their economic future and entice them to stay.
Harvesting the wind is a great way for farmers and ranchers to generate extra income from their land. Hosting wind turbines is just like growing crops or raising cattle, but it doesn’t use much land and the income is predictable, drought- and weather-resistant, and not subject to changing commodity prices.
Over the past 10 years, wind has delivered $140 billion of investment in the U.S. – and $13 billion of this investment happened in 2022 alone. New incentives designed to stimulate growth of America’s clean energy industry have resulted in announcements of more than $400 billion of investments in new wind, solar, and energy storage projects – which in turn are predicted to create almost 42,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector alone.
America's rural communities keep the country running by producing the food and energy we need to power our nation. In places where agriculture is a way of life, harvesting the wind is just like any other kind of farming – and it offers a predictable, drought- and weather-resistant source of income that can help stabilize a farm’s finances, particularly in lean years.
In terms of wildlife, wind projects are understood to have greater potential for risk than solar or energy storage projects, which are relatively low to the ground and don’t have moving parts. Fortunately, many of the issues seen with the first U.S. wind farms built some 40 years ago have been addressed and resolved.
Across the United States, many rural communities have deep roots in agriculture and a long history of using the land to generate value. Often, these places are also attractive to companies seeking locations to build solar farms. But is a solar farm really farming? And how does solar interact with other agricultural activities like growing crops and ranching?
