Indiana has powerful untapped renewable energy potential, generating jobs and clean energy for Indiana consumers. A strong federal standard would accelerate investment and jobs in our state.
- Indiana could generate 40,000 megawatts of electricity from wind[1] – more than the entire state produces right now[2] – yet we now get only about 900 megawatts from wind.
- The 400 megawatt Fowler Ridge Wind Farm in Benton County, which began full commercial operation in April 2009, is the largest wind farm in the Midwest and the largest single-build wind farm in the nation.[3]
- Green technology can also create employment opportunities in entirely new areas: Italian wind manufacturer Brevini is building a new facility to make gearboxes in Muncie – creating nearly 450 permanent local jobs with annual salaries averaging more than $46,000 per year.[4]
- A national program to develop renewable energy will create a demand for billions of dollars of components used to the make renewable energy plants and equipment – which could create as many as 39,000 new jobs in Indiana.[5]
- Indiana could collect nearly 12 million dry tons of corn stover each year, which could be used to produce more than 800 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol. In addition, the more than 4.5 million acres of forest lands in the south-central portion of the state could be sustainably harvested to produce either co-fired biomass electricity or cellulosic ethanol.[6]
- The state also has 4.5 million acres of forestlands in south-central Indiana that could be sustainably harvested to produce co-fired biomass electricity.
Renewable clean energy protects Indiana’s economy and consumers.
- Renewable energy sources – unlike fossil fuels — will not run out and have much more stable prices. Once a renewable energy plant is built, it runs on a free energy supply unlike a traditional fossil fuel energy plant.
- The costs of installing renewable energy plants will fall as the technology becomes more widespread, while the cost of installing and running fossil fuel energy plants will continue to go up due to increased demand and decreased supply.
[1] http://www.nwf.org/globalwarming/energypdfs/INDIANA_10-22-2.pdf
[2] National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2009.
[3] http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7052416
[4] “BREVINI: Firm to bring 455 high-paying jobs”. The Herald Bulletin. 8 October 2008. http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_282230955.html
[5] “Indiana’s Road to Energy Independence: Building Job Growth in Renewable Energy Component Manufacturing,” Blue Green Alliance. http://www.bluegreenalliance.org/assets/pdf/IN-report.pdf
[6] http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/resourcedata/index.html
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