When President Obama delivered his State of the Union address just a few weeks ago, he challenged us to address one of our nation’s most pressing needs, a clean and secure energy future, stating, “The nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation.”
Illinois-based institutions and companies not only understand the importance of building a clean energy economy, they are already taking steps to lead the nation. This month, we focus on one component of that economy in which Illinois is positioned to lead the way – Wind. From wind turbine component manufacturers and clean energy workforce development programs to cutting-edge collaborative research and strong industry associations, Illinois has a solid foundation on which to expand its already impressive effort.
We invite you to browse the videos and stories below to see how Illinois is incorporating wind into our energy future.
Watch and Listen:
An Overview of ISU’s Center for Renewable Energy’s Work to Advance Wind Power in Illinois
Learn:
Catalyst Exclusive: Guest Commentaries
| From the Windy Plains to the Windy City Illinois is now a national leader in wind power By Kevin Borgia Executive Director Illinois Wind Energy Association |
Wind Energy and Smart Grids By Mohammad Shahidehpour, PhD Department Chair, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Bodine Professor Illinois Institute of Technology |
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| Renewables on the Rise By Audun Botterud Energy Systems Engineer Argonne National Laboratory |
Training a Green Energy Workforce By Alan Pfeifer Dean of Information Service (Instructional Technology and Learning Resource Center) Sauk Valley Community College |
Did You Know?
According to an analysis by the Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University the first 1,119 megawatts of wind capacity in Illinois:
- Will generate a total economic benefit of $1.9 billion over the life of the projects
- Supports local economies by generaIng $11.4 million in annual property taxes
- Generates $4.36 million annually in extra income for Illinois landowners who lease their land to wind farm developers
- Created approximately 6,019 full‐Ime equivalent jobs during construcIon periods with a total payrol of over $306 million
- Supports approximately 292 permanent jobs in rural Illinois areas with a total annual payroll of over $15 million
Learn more about Illinois’ wind power and its economic impact by clicking the links below:
- Illinois Wind Power and Economic Development
- Illinois Wind Power Facts
- Argonne gets wind of new energy models
- Research into managing wind intermittency
- Studying the viability of wind power for Illinois
- Kellogg grad sees potential in wind power
- Siemens/Winergy Drive Systems open second plant in Elgin, IL
- Exelon to purchase wind power generated in Illinois
- Illinois Institute of Technology to Lead Wind Energy Research Consortium
- Tall Buildings research by Peter Land and Dietmar Rempfer
- Illinois Wind: A Project of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
More News:
Illinois R&D Day
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Illinois Statehouse | Springfield, Illinois
Illinois is proud to be a leader in research and innovation. Representatives from many of Illinois’ world-class research institutions and businesses will be on hand to showcase their on-going research efforts with a special focus on work being done to contribute to a clean and secure energy future.
For further details and to RSVP for the reception click here.
Participants include: Argonne National Laboratory*, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Coal Bureau, Illinois Institute of Technology*, Illinois State Geological Survey, National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center*, Northern Illinois University*, Northwestern University*, University of Chicago*, Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago*, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign*
*Indicates reception sponsor