WindEurope has launched a new ‘Local Impact, Global Leadership’ toolkit that maps out the local economic benefits of wind energy. With the future of renewables in Europe at stake in Clean Energy Package negotiations, now is a critical time to show policy-makers the local economic benefits of wind energy to make the case for more renewables ambition.
On a macro level, wind energy contributes €36bn to EU GDP, supports 263,000 jobs and generates €8bn of exports. But until now, the local micro-economic benefits were less well-known. Where are the jobs? Where are the turbine factories? Where’s the rest of the supply chain? How do communities and local councils benefit from having wind farms?
WindEurope’s new ‘Local Impact, Global Leadership’ toolkit helps answer these questions. It comprises a supply chain map, a compendium of local community success stories and country fact sheets. It shows how the wind supply chain is benefiting regions all across Europe, including economically less-advantaged ones. It shows how citizens benefit from shared ownership of wind farms and how wind farms are contributing to local economic activity through the taxes they pay to local governments - covering up to 20% of municipal revenues.
