Wind farms are reportedly redefining Texas’ energy industry, and experts say they may be blowing up jobs along they way.
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Earlier this year, the allegedly greener form of energy officially passed up coal in terms of kilowatts produced as a source of energy for the Lone Star State, and, as more coal plants close, more wind turbines are said to be springing up on plains and hillsides, like metal trees or flowers dotting the landscape.
RELATED: Wind blows past coal as an energy source for the first time in Texas’ history
Industry experts say wind power may also come with an advantage over oil and gas, with some going as far as to claim working in wind to be much safer.
“The wind industry has changed my life, and it’s changed it for the better,” James Beall said in an interview with Inside Climate News.
Beall said he works in the wind industry and teaches interested college students how to become wind technicians, the same way he did after the birth of his son led him to take a break from the work force and his previous life as an electrician.
According to the federal government’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, wind power provides anywhere from 12 percent to half of energy for the Texas grid, depending on the season and level of overall demand.
Furthermore, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, green jobs in America are in high demand:
Photovoltaic panel installers and wind technicians are reportedly among the top positions with a need for skilled labor as the renewable energy industry grows, with a wind technician making an average salary of over $50,000 per year.
Some say this could explain why wind power is receiving bipartisan support from those who see it not as a political issue, but, rather, as an opportunity to make money.
Thanks to tax incentives, for example, which will allegedly allow the sector to keep blowing up growth, the wind industry could generate a lot more revenue and opportunities for the state in years to come if it continues on its present upward path.
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