Category: Renewable energy

The state of Wind Energy in the USA

As the sector continues to grow we thought it was a great opportunity to look at the state of Wind energy in the USA this year and what lies ahead.

Wind Energy has had a lot of press coverage recently, not everything that has been said is great for the sector. However most of what has come out from certain people is in stark contrast to the actual facts! With this in mind we thought it was a great opportunity to look at the state of Wind Energy in the USA and what lies ahead in 2019 and beyond.

Offshore Wind Energy takes off

A recent white paper by the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind (SIOW) indicates that off shore wind will generate in excess of 20 Gigawatts of cost efficient power from 2030. Alongside nearly $70 billion in revenue opportunities for US companies in the supply chain. With 3 operational sites and a further in development it’s not just revenue that will be created for US companies but jobs for US workers. Wind Energy is already one of the fastest growing jobs markets in the USA and this is set to continue as demand increases for cleaner energy with wind well placed to deliver.

Corporate wind deals benefit the wider community

As companies look to secure their energy needs for now and the future there is a clear drive towards renewable energy sources as opposed to traditional power generation methods. The deals have far reaching benefits for the communities and workers who support the wind energy sector. Well known organisations like Facebook have made a clear commitment to wind energy creating hundreds of jobs in the process with other well know organisations following such as AT&T and Google. These forward thinking companies have set themselves impressive targets, in Facebooks respect to use 100% renewable energy by 2050. On the face of it these deals may be perceived as good PR but there’s underlying sentiment regarding companies with forward thinking energy and sustainability policies, they perform better. Which all ads up to good news for wind.

The jobs market

As a sector renewable energy employs over 750,000 people in the USA. Compare this to coal with 160,000 employees and it’s clear where the smart money is these days.Wind energy has seen double digit job creation for the last few years and as new wind farm developments get green lighted driven by demand from both private and corporate America this is unlikely to slow. From STL’s perspective we have seen a dramatic increase in GWO training enquiries as technicians strive to gain the qualifications needed for a successful career in wind energy.

Where is wind going?

The short answer, despite what you might here, is nowhere. The sector is enjoying amazing growth despite shifting national energy policy. Cities and States continue to push towards their greener energy targets in spite of what the national executive is focussing on. Corporate America is also playing it’s role. Large companies continue to favour wind as they aim to shift their usage from traditional supply methods to sustainable sources. All in all it’s an exciting time to be working in Wind Energy.

The wind energy boom.

2019 looks set to be a big year for wind energy across the USA, we look at some of the stats and factors driving this growth.

In the 10 years to 2019 the cumulative capacity of wind energy has tripled to over 90,000 MW. Texas leads the nation with over 24,000 people employed in the wind energy sector. In 2017 four states produced more than 30% of their electricity from wind. Over $145 Billion has been invested in wind in the USA over the last 10 years. From our own perspective we’re seeing a huge increase in demand for our GWO training courses within a sector committed to employee safety.

With figures like these it’s no wonder the sector is booming and all this despite a national backdrop that is removing the nation from the Paris climate accords and trying to revive the failing coal industry. Whilst the investment numbers are staggering the drive to renewables could be seen as somewhat of a grass roots initiative. Despite the national agenda cities are pushing to be 100% renewable by 2035, we covered this last December when we focused on Cincinnati becoming the 100th city to commit to decarbonization.

This month we see the AWEA’s San Diego conference where the industry comes together to discuss and solve the issues that we face, not least due to the fast growth we are experiencing. It’s good to see that the industry is so committed to safety with GWO accreditations now being mandatory for wind turbine workers. The corporate sector is also doing it’s bit. It’s become common place to hear of large corporations like Facebook, WalMart and AT&T commit to wind energy for their electricity needs. It seems the people on the ground and in our corporations believe in wind energy as the solution to their long term sustainability plans which is great news all round.

In fact we are seeing somewhat of a snowball effect. Whether this is driven by need, necessity or great PR mileage it all signals a sector where wind turbine technician jobs are now one of the two fastest growing jobs in the USA. What’s also hugely encouraging are the large numbers of veterans who work within the wind sector. STL has a long history of working with veterans once they have finished serving their country, the skills they learn in the military translate perfectly to the wind sector which is why veterans are employed at a rate 72% above the national average.

To discover more about STL head over to the homepage and find out more about our world class training facilities and courses.

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Cities push for 100% renewable energy.

As Cincinnati becomes the 100th US city to set a goal to move to 100% renewable energy by 2035 we look at the movement that shows no sign of stopping on the road to decarbonizing electricity.

Whilst Cincinnati only has a relatively small population at around 300,000 more populous cities such as San Jose and San Diego have already pledged to hit 100% and it’s estimated that 15% of the total US population live in cities which have set a 100% mandate. All this in a backdrop where the national administration is actively removing itself from the Paris climate change accord and struggling to revive the failing coal industry.

As we’ve heard recently in the press the debate seems to be shifting, less focus on whether or not to decarbonize electricity but when and how fast should it be done. There’s also some ambiguity in what carbon free electricity actually means, in many cases renewables are explicitly mentioned as the solution which does leave the door open for new nuclear plants but these take time to build and there aren;’t any new plants scheduled in California at any rate.

All roads point to renewables which in our opinion is somewhat of an inevitability. Nationally there are some great signs The fledgling US offshore market is likely to make up 15% of all new capacity in the next 10 years as pioneering states such as Massachusetts and New York are joined by California and Delaware in procuring and promoting offshore turbines for their power needs.

With companies also doing their bit such as Facebooks pledge to go 100%renewable by 2020 it seems that the ground swell is being driven despite the governments in place not because of them. In fact in many countries around the world who have made renewable commitments it’s estimated that the private sector will drive demand and help in reaching those targets in advance of many dates that have been set.

The knock on effect is also helping the jobs market. The US renewables sector is creating jobs twice as fast as any other in fact wind turbine technician jobs are set to double by 2026 and with an average salary of $50,000 it’s an attractive sector to be a part of.

As a pioneer of wind turbine safety training Safety Technology USA is positioning itself front and center to handle the demand for GWO accreditations, training and refreshers that will be required to keep the industry going.

Head over to the homepage and find out more about our world class training facilities and course.