Summit Fleet is a proud member of the American Wind Energy Association, which is the national trade association for the United States wind industry. Summit Fleet understands that the wind farm construction industry is growing now and needs reliable transportation to get the work done, whether that’s towing a heavy load to your work site or moving your crew back and forth from your project. Summit Fleet understands the hard work that goes into the wind industry and we want to work hard with you to accomplish your goals.
What is the Wind Industry?
The wind industry is responsible for turning wind into electricity. Wind turbine blades, which are spinning a generator, captures wind and turns it into mechanical energy. There are three different types of wind power. The American Wind Energy Associates lists them as the following:
- Utility-scale wind: wind turbines larger than 100 kilowatts with electricity delivered to the power grid and distributed to the end user by electric utilities or power system operators
- Distributed or “small” wind: use turbines of 100 kilowatts or smaller to directly power a home, farm or small business as it primary use
- Offshore wind: wind turbines erected in large bodies of water, usually on the continental shelf
The wind industry is one of the fastest growing industries. More than 700 Upper Midwest construction jobs are expected to be created over the next three years. This does not count the hundreds of supporters and suppliers. Not only is the wind industry flourishing in the Midwest, it is growing throughout the United States.
Wind Farms
Most of us have seen a wind turbine once or twice before, but not all have seen a wind farm. A wind farm is an extended area that has many turbines together to produce energy. There are some farms that only have a few turbines, while others have thousands. Many wind turbines are placed in breezy areas such as offshore bodies of water.
Advantages of Wind Energy
Here are some of the advantages of wind energy:
- Wind Power is cost effective. It’s one of the lowest priced energy sources today.
- According to the Department of Labor, the fastest growing job in the U.S. is a wind turbine technician. 100,000 well-paying jobs in America were supported with Wind Energy in 2016. According to the Wind Vision Report, wind has the potential to support more than 600,000 jobs in manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and supporting services by 2050.
- Wind power cuts pollutants that create smog. This helps with people who have asthma and other lung diseases. In 2016, the wind industry produced health savings of $7.4 billion that year.
- Wind projects paid at least $245 million to landowners for lease payments. Many farmers and ranchers rely on this income.
Construction of Wind Farms
It’s no surprise that the number of wind farm projects under construction has seen an increase of 40% over last year. That means a lot of people are going to have to make it happen. One large wind turbine has 116 ft. blades and sits on a tower that’s around 212 feet tall – that’s 328 feet. And some are even bigger than that! A lot of work and manpower needs to go into making one turbine, let alone a whole farm of them. The number of wind turbines on a wind farm can be as few as five, or well into the hundreds. One of the largest wind farms is in California with over 4,800 wind turbines!
That’s where Summit Fleet comes into the picture. Summit Fleet offers many vehicles that can assist with projects such as this. A great option is our 1 ton or 1.5 ton flatbed truck rental, which can tow up to 26,600 lbs. and has up to 440 horsepower. This would make the wind farm construction process more manageable to optimize your time and money.
Future of the Wind Industry
It is expected that soon, wind energy will be the most cost-effective way to get energy. The American Wind Energy Association reported that “Through the third quarter of 2017, there were approximately 84,944 megawatts of installed wind capacity in the U.S., with another 29,634 megawatts in development. During the last decade, wind energy has seen $143 billion of investment and, through the end of 2016, created more than 100,000 jobs.”
How Can You Get in on the Action?
Clean energy industries are on the rise now. Solar and wind jobs are growing 12 times faster than other industries. With changes in the air (literally) you may find yourself looking for a new job. If you go down that road, don’t go alone. Take the road with Summit Fleet. If you’re already in this growing industry, let Summit Fleet do the heavy lifting for you while you clean our air.
Sources:
https://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Wind-farm-construction-grows-across-the-U-S-11524599.php
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/the-future-of-wind-farms/510427/
https://summitfleet.com/industries-booming-progress/
https://www.awea.org/wind-power-101
https://summitfleet.com/truck-rentals/truck-size/1-5-ton-flatbed/
https://energy.gov/eere/wind/wind-vision
