Abstract
This chapter focuses on the economic impacts of wind energy projects. An announcement of a new electric generation project in or near a community is likely to draw opposition from people who perceive that the project will be harmful to the community, whether the project will be using wind power, solar energy, nuclear energy, natural gas, biomass, landfill gas, or coal to produce electricity. The chapter provides the impacts potentially detrimental to the region's economy. Some of the economic impacts that developers of any type of electric generation project must consider or address during the project design phase includes: environmental impacts that may translate to reduced property values, impacts on the local job market, and impacts on local roads, utilities, and emergency services. Reasons often cited for granting tax abatements to businesses may include creation of new jobs in the area and providing access to services for residents.
This is a book chapter in Wind Energy Essentials: Societal, Economic, and Environmental Impacts.