Ideas that caught my Eye
- Most of the benefits came to the utilities construction and transportation sectors with wages increasing 10 to 20 percent
- The article states that not all locations will benefit from a renewable energy strategy
- While long term employment is not as solid as a coal plant wind and solar farms could bring in tax revenue
- 70% large scale solar and 94% of wind are installed on crop land. That is a shocker
- Wind accounts for 50% of Iowa’s energy which is surprising to me! I wonder what their rates are per kWh
Do the benefits exceed the costs, though? These things usually come with huge subsidies.
Interesting takeaways. The 70% solar/94% wind on crop land stat is the one that jumps out - that's dual-use income for farmers but also raises food vs energy questions.
Wages up 10-20% in construction/transportation makes sense for rural areas, but OP notes long-term jobs aren't as solid as coal. So short boom + tax revenue vs long-term employment gap.
Iowa at 50% wind is crazy. Do you know if that 50% dropped their rates per kWh or did transmission costs eat the savings? Curious how it compares to Nigeria where solar mini-grids still charge premium in rural areas.