Governor Roy Cooper has signed a proclamation designating the week of August 5-11, 2018, as American Wind Week in North Carolina. The proclamation encourages North Carolinians to learn about and celebrate the benefits of wind energy for the Tar Heel state.
Gov. Cooper cited the Amazon Wind Farm US East near Elizabeth City, currently the largest such facility in the Southeast, and North Carolina’s 55 companies that contribute to the wind energy sector as notable examples of the benefits of wind energy to our state.
“North Carolina is already a national leader in solar energy, and we have the potential to increase our clean energy generation by harnessing wind energy to help us transition to a clean energy future,” said Gov. Cooper.
In North Carolina, the wind industry already has created nearly 900 jobs and invested more than $330 million in manufacturing plants and supply chain operations. Expanding this industry can increase economic opportunities for residents and develop additional sources of state and local revenue. For example, people and communities in Perquimans and Pasquotank counties are benefiting from more than $600,000 in 2017 property tax revenues generated by the Amazon wind farm, the largest taxpayer in both counties.
Key facts related to wind energy in North Carolina:
• According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), North Carolina is home to 26 manufacturing facilities that produce hardware and materials for wind turbines that are being installed across the United States.
• The construction of the Amazon Wind Farm US East near Elizabeth City involved 71 local businesses injecting $18 million into the local economy. Nearly 500 construction workers were hired to build the 104 wind turbine project, which began generating power in early 2017; it currently has 18 full-time workers with annual salaries well above the average of northeastern North Carolina.
• North Carolina has tremendous wind energy potential. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory determined that North Carolina has the second-highest offshore wind energy potential of any state in the nation, though the state ranks 37th in the nation for share of electricity generated from wind energy, and 29th for installed wind capacity.
“I’m proud of the progress we’re making with wind energy, but there is much more potential yet to be realized,” added Gov. Cooper. “I look forward to leading North Carolina in the growing use of renewable energy sources, including wind.”
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