Today is Wind Energy Day and an opportunity to big up the positive impact being made by the industry.
Trade body, Wind Europe, released statistics today highlighting the transformative role it is having in reshaping global economies. It points to the fact wind power provides 12% of Europe’s electricity; in America, wind turbine technician is one of the fastest growing jobs; and in previous oil focused regions, like New Mexico, billions of dollars are being invested in the sector.
“Onshore wind is now the cheapest form of new power generation in most of Europe, and offshore wind is not far behind with costs having fallen over 60% in three years. It’s now getting easier and cheaper to integrate wind power into the energy system. As a local resource, wind also means much less money spent on fossil fuel imports. And of course it means less CO2 and cleaner air. From a niche technology, wind energy is now an industrial success story. It’s 260,000 high-skilled jobs in Europe. It’s a €36bn contribution to EU GDP and €8bn worth of European exports. And wind is making an impact also on a more local level. Whether it’s providing local jobs and investment in the supply chain or wind farms contributing taxes to local municipalities, wind energy is having a positive impact in communities across Europe,” said Giles Dickson WindEurope CEO.
Happy Wind Energy Day!
