Comparing Statewide Economic Impacts of New Generation from Wind, Coal, and Natural Gas in Arizona, Colorado, and Michigan: Preprint

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaper

Abstract

With increasing concerns about energy independence, job outsourcing, and risks of global climate change, it is important for policy makers to understand all impacts from their decisions about energy resources. This paper assesses one aspect of the impacts: direct economic effects. The paper compares impacts to states from equivalent new electrical generation from wind, natural gas, and coal.Economic impacts include materials and labor for construction, operations, maintenance, fuel extraction, and fuel transport, as well as project financing, property tax, and landowner revenues. We examine spending on plant construction during construction years, in addition to all other operational expenditures over a 20-year span. Initial results indicate that adding new wind power can be moreeconomically effective than adding new gas or coal power, and that a higher percentage of dollars spent on coal and gas will leave the state. For this report, we interviewed industry representatives and energy experts, in addition to consulting government documents, models, and existing literature. The methodology for this research can be adapted to other contexts for determining economiceffects of new power generation in other states and regions.
Original languageAmerican English
Number of pages34
StatePublished - 2005
EventPrepared for WindPower 2005 - Denver, Colorado
Duration: 15 May 200518 May 2005

Conference

ConferencePrepared for WindPower 2005
CityDenver, Colorado
Period15/05/0518/05/05

Bibliographical note

Prepared for WindPower 2005, 15-18 May 2005, Denver, Colorado

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/CP-500-38154

Keywords

  • coal
  • natural gas
  • rural economic development
  • wind energy
  • wind energy economics
  • wind plants

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