Dylan F Borchers / Bricker & Eckler LLP
Throughout the Great Lakes states and the upper Midwest, Ohio’s 435 megawatts (MW) of installed wind capacity puts the state at the bottom of the pack, according to a recent Hannah Report. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)’s third-quarter figures for the entire country show Iowa (5,710 MW), Illinois (3,842 MW), and Minnesota (3,035 MW) leading the upper Midwest. New York (1,749 MW), Indiana (1,745 MW), Michigan (1,531 MW) and Pennsylvania (1,340 MW) each have more than three times Ohio’s wind capacity, according to the article.
However, “Ohio broke into the top 10” for wind power under construction, “second only to Minnesota for the number of developing wind projects along the Great Lakes.” Hannah reports that the fourth quarter could be even stronger for the United States as a whole. AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan said, “[w]e are on the cusp of greatness. There are over $20 billion worth of wind farms under construction right now, creating well-paying jobs and spurring economic development in rural communities across the country.” Kiernan noted that growth is in jeopardy from “continued policy uncertainty, saying it “could throw the wind industry off yet another economic cliff.”
Filed Under: Construction, News