To better understand our wind resource potential and the effects of harvesting this renewable resource, an extensive amount of research is constantly undertaken in North Carolina and around the world. The North Carolina Wind Energy Website intends to provide a comprehensive list of this research as it unfolds. Some of the reports on this site are results of the Small Wind Initiative's current research projects at the Research and Demonstration Facility on Beech Mountain including: product durability testing, power curve verification, noise emission, and avian impact studies. In addition to the Small Wind Initiative, the Appalachian State University Energy Center has also contributed a significant amount of wind policy and economic research in North Carolina. Other reports on this site are courtesy of a variety of sources engaged in wind research around the world. Please make use of the work compiled here and contact us if there are reports that should be included.

Economic Research

Wind Power: A New Cash Crop

Today, many farmers and ranchers across the nation and the world are turning to wind power as a source of supplemental income. See these site and articles for more information.

The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has begun work with JEDI (Jobs and Economic Development Impacts), a new economic impact modeling software that helps communities, counties, and regions estimate the impacts wind energy can have on their local economy. ASU is currently one of the first recipients of this software and have found these results. The Impacts of wind energy are felt at a local and national level as wind is bringing new jobs, manufacturing, and keeping local energy dollars in the area. Location of Wind Turbine Manufacturers is a report on some of the latest developments on the impact of the wind industry on our economy.