Wind power development has surged in recent years in the United States. Policymakers and economic development practitioners to date have typically relied upon project-level case studies or modeled input–output estimates to assess the economic development impacts from wind power, often focusing on potential local, state-wide, or national employment or earnings impacts. Building on this literature, we conduct an ex post econometric analysis of the county-level economic development impacts of wind power installations from 2000 through 2008 in a large, wind-rich region in the country. Taking into account factors influencing wind turbine location, we find an aggregate increase in county-level personal income and employment of approximately $11,000 and 0.5 jobs per megawatt of wind power capacity installed over the sample period of 2000 to 2008. These estimates appear broadly consistent with modeled input–output results, and translate to a median increase in total county personal income and employment of 0.2% and 0.4% for counties with installed wind power over the same period.

IREC Wind Newsletter 2004

Watauga County will soon vote to adopt the state's first wind turbine ordinance.

7/20/2006 Mountain Times article on the Watauga County wind ordinance hearing.

May 25, 2006 Mountain Times article about the proposed wind ordinance in Watauga County.

8/10/06 High County News article covering the Commissioners meeting where the new wind ordinance was voted in.

10/5/05 IREC News

11/15/06 Charlotte Observer article about the Haywood County Bergey XL

9/19/2006 WS Journal

1/18/07 High Country Press

1/26/07 Journal Now

2/1/07 WS Journal