Entrepreneurs' magazine looks at wind power

Wind power may be just what is needed to give some struggling rural economies a boost, creating benefits like land lease revenue and additional employment opportunities. In an article for Fast Company, a magazine for entrepreneurs, Melanie Warner points to the town of Sweetwater, Tex., as an example of what wind farms can offer small towns across windy parts of the U.S.

Warner notes that construction of wind turbines requires local labor and service, creating jobs for blue-collar workers whose jobs are often outsourced. The tax revenue created by these jobs and rent paid to landowners helped put an additional $23.7 million into Sweetwater's school districts from 2002 to 2007.

However, the growing industry needs more power lines to connect wind farms to larger cities. "Construction estimates for this modern clean-energy superhighway? About $60 billion," writes Warner. "If it means new jobs and middle-class affluence, as well as carbon-free energy independence, it may be one of the best investments that we can make." (Read more)

Here's a U.S. Department of Energy map showing the potential for wind power, based on wind speeds at 50 meters (164 feet) above the surface. Yellow areas have a "fair" resource potential; those in magenta are rated good, purple excellent, red outstanding and blue superb. For a larger version, click on the map.