Study indicates wind projects led to substantial increases in revenue and expenditures, boosting capital spending, improving or expanding education facilities and features that were beneficial to students, teachers, and communities.
Wind Energy Technologies Office
March 23, 2021
minute read time
Wind energy has grown tremendously in the United States in recent years—installed capacity today is more than 50 times what it was in 1995. Most states tax the property on which wind turbines sit and some of that money flows to school districts. But how much, and what is the benefit? To find out, researchers at Berkeley Lab, the University of Connecticut, and Amherst College examined U.S. wind energy projects installed between 1995 and 2016 in 638 school districts across 35 states. The research indicates that wind projects led to substantial increases in revenue and expenditures, boosting capital spending, improving or expanding education facilities and features that were beneficial to students, teachers, and communities. Detailed findings are in the resulting paper on Berkeley Lab’s website.