Partner: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Group Members: Alyssa Menzel, Michael Laurienti
Two separate projects will be completed in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory related to the advancement of wind energy and analysis of its impacts on communities. The focus of the first project will be to support the upgrade of land-based wind and offshore wind Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) models. The purpose of this is to provide the public and decision-makers with unbiased, fact-based information on the domestic wind workforce and wind energy’s economic impacts in a comprehensive, accessible model. These JEDI models can be used by stakeholders in combination with a wind energy county siting guide, which is the focus of the second project. The purpose of this project is to address the evolving complexities surrounding siting and technological advances for wind energy in rural areas. After engaging with various stakeholders to better understand community and industry concerns, a guide will be created to ensure that decision makers have access to information on topics such as local economic development impacts, health impacts, and siting best practices.