Wind Energy & Economic Development

According to the US DOE South Carolina possesses excellent offshore wind resources close to its growing coastal demand centers in shallow waters near outstanding port facilities like Charleston and Georgetown.  As the offshore wind market emerges along the East Coast of the United States and land-based turbines continue to grow in size, South Carolina is strategically positioned to serve as an industrial hub from this growing industry. 

South Carolina is already participating in the market with industry leaders like GE Energy, Fluor Corp., Timken, Ilgin and others. South Carolina strengths include outstanding port facilities, established large scale ship rebuilding facilities, local steel manufacturing, favorable manufacturing environment and excellent research institutions that can incubate an offshore wind energy hub servicing not only the Atlantic coast of the United States but also the growing European market.

All of these factors were taken into account in the US Department of Energy Report on Wind Power which estimated that South Carolina could generate up to 20,000 new jobs by 2030. It is important for South Carolina to strategically market its strengths to both US and European manufacturers before the opportunity is lost. Key industry, academic, environmental and community leaders must come together to form an alliance to attract this emerging new industry to the state.

In addition, regional economic impacts by land-based wind projects have been largely associated with local construction jobs and subcontract services. The offshore industry will not only include these benefits but will require local maritime resources and facilities to build, transport and stage the large equipment.

Based on the Danish experience, the wind industry can provide 17 job-years / MW of wind turbines manufactured and 5 job-years/ MW of wind turbines installed. A projected 50,000 MW of offshore wind power in the United States could generate in excess of 1 million job-years over the next twenty years.

An offshore industrial hub could potentially capture locally up to 50% of the costs associated with building of offshore wind farms representing an estimated $80Bn market over the next twenty years targeted towards the Atlantic Coast states that initiate and build these industrial hubs.