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Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308

Economic Impacts from 

Indiana's First 1,000 Megawatts 

of Wind Power

S. Tegen, D. Keyser, and F. Flores-Espino

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

R. Hauser

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Technical Report

NREL/TP-5000-60914

August 2014
NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

Operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy

Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

15013 Denver West Parkway

Golden, CO 80401

303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov

Economic Impacts from 

Indiana's First 1,000 

Megawatts of Wind Power

S. Tegen, D. Keyser, and F. Flores-Espino

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

R. Hauser

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Prepared under Task No. WE11.1121

Technical Report

NREL/TP-5000-60914

August 2014
NOTICE

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Cover Photos: (left to right) photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 16416, photo from SunEdison, NREL 17423, photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 

16560, photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL 17613, photo by Dean Armstrong, NREL 17436, photo by Pat Corkery, NREL 17721.

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iii

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind and Water Power Program Office for 

support of this research. We also thank the wind power developers, project owners, county 

commissioners, industry experts, and especially the local stakeholders who participated in this 

project for taking the time to answer questions and review results. This report would not have 

been possible without their support. We are grateful for the contributions from Dan Bennett, 

Bennett’s Garage; Marshall Goldberg, MRG & Associates; Tony Jimenez, National Renewable 

Energy Laboratory; Lelia Jozwiak, Benton County; Sandy McMullen, St. Joseph’s College;

Jason Minalga, Invenergy LLC; and Glen Roberson, Ivy Tech Community College.
iv

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List of Acronyms & Abbreviations

AWEA American Wind Energy Association

FTE full-time equivalent

GEC Global Energy Concepts

GW gigawatts

GWh gigawatt-hours

I-O input-output

JEDI Jobs and Economic Development Impact

MW megawatts

NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory

O&M operations & maintenance

VCEPS Voluntary Clean Energy Portfolio Standard
v

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Executive Summary

The magnitude of Indiana’s available wind resource indicates that the development of wind 

power infrastructure has the potential to support millions of dollars of economic activity in the 

state. Since the creation of Indiana’s Wind Working Group1 in 2005, the state has been engaged 

in forming strategic alliances with the agricultural, energy, legislative, and regulatory sectors to 

communicate wind's benefits and challenges to stakeholders (Indiana OED 2013; EERE 2013). 

As of June 2013, Indiana had 1,543 megawatts (MW) of wind power installed, the 13th largest 

installed wind fleet by capacity in the United States. The potential economic impacts of wind 

power development include direct effects such as jobs, land lease payments, and increased tax 

revenues, indirect effects on businesses in the supply chain, and induced impacts resulting from 

additional spending on local goods and services (Lantz and Tegen 2008).

Table 1. Indiana Wind Power Statistics

Power capacity - existing projects (MW): 1,543

State wind resource potential at 80 meters2 (MW): 148,228

Wind resource rank (by potential capacity) out of 50 states: 16th

Sources: American Wind Energy Association (2013), Lopez et al. 2012

The Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) models, developed by the National 

Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), are tools used to estimate some of the economic impacts 

of energy projects at the state level. JEDI calculates results in the form of jobs, earnings, and 

economic output in three categories: project development and onsite labor, local revenue and 

supply chain, and induced impacts.

According to this analysis, the first 1,000 MW of wind power development in Indiana (projects 

built between 2008 and 2011): 

• Supported employment totaling more than 4,400 full-time-equivalent (FTE) jobs in 

Indiana during the construction periods 

• Supports approximately 260 ongoing Indiana jobs 

• Supported nearly $570 million in economic activity for Indiana during the construction 

periods 

 1 A Wind Working Group is made up of people interested in appropriate deployment of wind technology in their 

state. Group members discuss concerns regarding and benefits from wind energy to ensure responsible wind power 

installations. The groups were first formed by interested parties within the state with support from the Department of 

Energy’s Wind Powering America initiative and other interested organizations. 

2 The wind resource is based on the predicted mean annual wind speeds at an 80-m height with spacing of 5 

MW/km2. Areas with annual average wind speeds around 6.5 meters per second and greater at 80-m height are 

generally considered to have a resource suitable for wind development. Utility-scale, land-based wind turbines are 

typically installed between 80 and 100 m high. See the Indiana state resource map with capacity curves and 

assumptions for the 80-m potential at 

http://apps2.eere.energy.gov/wind/windexchange/wind_resource_maps.asp?stateab=in
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• Supported and continues to support nearly $40 million in annual Indiana economic 

activity during the operating periods

• Generates more than $8 million in annual property taxes 

• Generates nearly $4 million annually in income for Indiana landowners who lease their 

land for wind energy projects. 

These estimates are based on project expenditures and local content assumptions provided by the 

developers and operators and assume 20% of construction expenditures are made in Indiana and 

40% of operations & maintenance (O&M) expenditures remain in-state.
vii

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Contents

1 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................1

2 Methodology........................................................................................................................................5

2.1 The Jobs and Economic Development Impact Model................................................................... 5

2.2 Indiana Wind Speeds at Different Hub Heights.......................................................................... 10

2.3 Scenario and Data ....................................................................................................................... 11

2.4 Socioeconomic Statistics............................................................................................................. 12

3 Results: Estimated Economic Impacts...........................................................................................16

3.1 Construction Phase ..................................................................................................................... 17

3.1.1 Gross Output....................................................................................................................... 17

3.1.2 Jobs and Earnings................................................................................................................ 18

3.2 Operations & Maintenance......................................................................................................... 19

3.2.1 Gross Output....................................................................................................................... 19

3.2.2 Jobs and Earnings................................................................................................................ 20

4 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................22

Appendix: Cost and Local Content Estimates.......................................................................................25

List of Figures

Figure 1. This map shows Indiana's wind resource potential at an 80-m height. ................................2

Figure 2. Ivy Tech Community College students build a residential-size wind turbine as part of 

their sustainable energy program. Source: Ivy Tech Community College...........................................3

Figure 3. JEDI Wind model economic development impact categories................................................7

Figure 4. Benton County Wind Farm tour advertisement. Source: Benton County.............................9

Figure 5. Indiana wind resource at three hub heights ..........................................................................10

Figure 6. Percent change in employment in Indiana.............................................................................13

Figure 7. Economic ripple effect from 1,000 MW of wind energy in Indiana ......................................16

Figure 8. Gross economic output impacts from construction of 1,000 MW of wind projects ..........18

Figure 9. Annual gross economic output impacts from O&M of 1,000 MW of wind ..........................20

List of Tables

Table 1. Indiana Wind Power Statistics ....................................................................................................v

Table 2. Wind Projects Analyzed for this Report...................................................................................11

Table 3. Construction Input Data Summary ...........................................................................................11

Table 4. O&M Input Data Summary .........................................................................................................12

Table 5. Indiana County Employment Levels in 2011 ...........................................................................13

Table 6. Indiana Summary Economic Impacts from 1,000 MW of Wind Energy Development.........17

Table 7. Estimated Job Impacts from the Wind Plant Construction Phase........................................19

Table 8. Estimated Annual Ongoing Jobs and Earnings from O&M ...................................................20

Table A.1. Construction Cost Totals and Local Purchases across All Projects ................................25

Table A.2 O&M Cost Totals and Local Content Purchases across All Projects.................................26
1

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1 Introduction

In 2010, Indiana ranked seventh among the states in coal production. By July 2013, the main 

component in Indiana’s power generation mix was coal (88.7%), half of which was imported 

from other states. Natural gas (9.3%) and non-hydroelectric renewable energy (1.6%) were the 

other largest sources of electricity. Wind power constitutes 90% of the renewable energy 

capacity in Indiana (EIA 2013a; EIA 2013b).

Research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and elsewhere has expanded 

knowledge of Indiana’s wind resource and shown far greater potential for wind-generated 

electricity than was thought possible in previous years due to wind measurements at higher hub 

heights and taller wind turbine tower technology (see Section 2.2). Estimates from this research 

indicate a technical potential for land-based wind in Indiana of 148 gigawatts (GW), capable of 

producing 377,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) each year (Lopez et al. 2012). The wind energy 

potential at an 80-m hub height is shown as a map in Figure 1. For comparison, the total 

electricity consumed in the state in 2011 was 359,788 GWh, 95% of the potential annual wind 

power production (EIA 2013a).

In 2005, Indiana’s Office of Energy Development created the Indiana Wind Working Group. The 

group organized the Windiana annual conference until 2011 to share Indiana’s plans to develop 

wind energy with multiple stakeholders and the wind energy industry (Indiana OED 2013; EERE 

2013). Indiana had no installed wind capacity by the end of 2007. Two years later, at the end of 

2009, the state had 1,036 megawatts (MW) of installed nameplate capacity, making it the state 

with the third fastest wind capacity growth that year (AWEA 2010). In May 2011, the state 

legislature passed a Voluntary Clean Energy Portfolio Standard (VCEPS) that set a voluntary 

goal of meeting 10% of state electric generation using clean energy sources by 2025 (DSIRE 

2013). As of June 2013, the state had 1,543 MW of installed wind capacity, the 13th highest in 

the United States (AWEA 2013).

The present analysis estimates that continued wind energy development in Indiana has the 

potential to support millions of dollars of economic activity in the state. The analysis of the 

economic impact of Indiana’s first 1,000 MW of wind power estimates $570 million of in-state 

economic activity and more than 4,400 jobs during the construction period. The operation and 

maintenance of the facilities support approximately $40 million in economic activity and 260 

jobs on an annual basis.

Wind projects bolster jobs, generate tax revenue for farmers and ranchers, and increase local tax 

bases for rural communities. Wind turbines have a minimal impact to farmable acreage because 

they have small footprints and the land can be used almost right up to the base of the turbine. In 

addition, wind energy conserves water resources and reduces pollution (EERE 2004).

Estimating the economic development impacts of wind power plants allows policymakers and 

decision makers to design policies targeting economic development goals (Lantz and Tegen 2008). 

This study captures the economic impacts of the first 1,000 MW of wind energy in Indiana. 

Specifically, we examine the impact of the first utility-scale wind energy projects in Indiana during 

construction and operation phases. We use 1,000 MW as a baseline because it can be scaled to get 

a sense of the economic development opportunities associated with other wind scenarios. 
2

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Figure 1. This map shows Indiana's wind resource potential at an 80-m height.
3

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Case Study: Wind Energy Supports Regional Education and Vocational 

Development in White County

Wind energy and other renewable technology have had impacts on Indiana’s future 

workforce and educational institutions, including Ivy Tech Community College in 

Lafayette. Indiana’s largest public-college system, Ivy Tech has 31 campuses in 14 

regions. The college trains students for technical and vocational careers, offering 

certification programs and associate degrees that provide students with skills to assist them 

in joining the workforce. 

White County is served by Ivy Tech-Lafayette. When Ivy Tech faculty and leadership 

learned that wind farms would soon become a part of the county’s economic fabric in 

2007, they saw an opportunity for their students. They leveraged a U.S. Department of 

Labor Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development grant designed to foster 

talent, workforce development, and regional economic transformation. Ivy Tech created its 

Energy Technology program and hired Isaac Slaven as the program’s first chair and 

faculty member.

Figure 2. Ivy Tech Community College students build a residential-size wind 

turbine as part of their sustainable energy program. Source: Ivy Tech Community 

College
4

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From the beginning, the college requested help from the companies involved in building, 

operating, and supplying the area wind farms, including Vestas Wind Systems, which 

supplied White County’s turbines; EDP Renewables, owner of Horizon LLC (the company 

that constructed and now operates and manages the White County wind farms); and 

enXco, which maintains the turbines. As part of this effort, Vestas hired Slaven as a faculty 

intern. According to Glen Roberson, assistant vice president and statewide dean of Ivy 

Tech's Institute of Technology, this opportunity provided Slaven with hands-on experience 

that aided in developing classes to teach students real-world technical skills. Roberson 

oversees not only the Energy Technology program but also other programs such as 

Chemical Technology and Automotive Technology with a role to play in training the 

sustainable energy workforce. 

“Because of the nearby wind farms, Ivy Tech has a strong focus on wind technology. 

Students enroll in the wind-related curriculum to gain practical experience, including 

turbine maintenance skills, in addition to their in-class studies,” Roberson explained. 

The multi-disciplinary program in sustainable energy provides opportunities for students 

who can study smart-grid development and maintenance, biofuel development, battery 

design and development, solar technologies, and more. Ivy Tech Lafayette developed an 

energy center in partnership with the local industry and the federal government. It has a 

strong industry presence, showcasing existing and emerging wind, solar, electric vehicle, 

and home automation technologies. The center is a unique example of how sustainable 

energy technologies can be integrated to provide a complete energy solution. 

“We have 150 students currently enrolled in the Energy Technology program, and our 

graduates have easily found work after getting their degree,” Roberson said.
5

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2 Methodology

2.1 The Jobs and Economic Development Impact Model

This study utilizes the Land-Based Wind Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) 

model. The model is one element of a suite of JEDI input-output (I-O) models. JEDI models 

provide estimated economic impacts that are supported by investment in a number of different 

energy technologies. NREL and MRG & Associates developed the wind JEDI model to 

incorporate the unique aspects of wind development in an economic impact tool that can be 

accessed and used by the public.3 

I-O models are widely recognized tools that are used to estimate economic impacts associated 

with investments or expenditures. These models map how economy sectors such as businesses, 

households, workers, capital, and governments interact with one another via purchases and sales 

at a single point in time. Because sectors are related to one another, an increase in demand for 

one can lead to an increase in demand for another. An increase in demand for steel towers, for 

example, results in increased demand for iron ore.

JEDI and other I-O models estimate economic impacts that are supported by changes in demand 

for goods and services.

4 JEDI estimates changes in demand for these goods and services with 

data from the project scenario.

The JEDI project scenario is a set of data that describes a project. Each project contains two sets 

of line item expense categories such as equipment (blades, towers, turbines), materials and 

services, and labor. One set covers the construction of the project, the other covers operations 

and maintenance (O&M) of a project. JEDI models contain default project scenario and cost 

data, but analysts with knowledge of project details can edit these defaults to better represent the 

scenario being analyzed. 

The JEDI model also allows a model user to specify which portions of expenditures are made 

within the region of analysis. For example, the model allows users to specify whether wind 

turbine blades were manufactured in the state where the project is being built or outside the state 

(assuming the state is the region of analysis). JEDI uses expenditures made within the region of 

analysis, or “local expenditures,” to estimate economic impacts. The local share specification can 

have a significant influence on model results. The JEDI model does not estimate economic 

impacts outside the region of analysis (e.g., generator parts from China).

Economic impact estimates from JEDI take the form of a number of different variables at 

different times. Each data point represents a specific metric, that metric’s relationship to the 

project, and the phase of the project in which it occurs.

JEDI reports economic impact estimates for two phases: construction and O&M. Construction 

phase results are one-time totals that span the equivalent of 1 year.5 O&M results are annual and 

ongoing for the life of the facility.

 3 Further information about JEDI, including downloadable models, can be found at www.nrel.gov/analysis/jedi/ 4 JEDI currently uses the IMPLAN input-output model. More information about IMPLAN is available at 

www.implan.com
6

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All impacts are based on expenditures and local content data contained within the project 

scenario worksheet. JEDI organizes these effects into different categories based on how the userspecified project scenario supports the impact. The workers who install a wind turbine, for 

example, are onsite. The workers who manufactured that turbine are part of the supply chain. 

Installers and manufacturers earn wages and spend money within the region of analysis, which 

supports further economic activity (e.g., the construction workers eat lunch at local sandwich 

shops). The three categories of impacts used by JEDI are6

: 

• Project development and onsite labor impacts represent economic activity that is 

either directly involved with a project’s development and implementation or that occurs 

onsite. These impacts typically occur in the construction, maintenance, engineering, and 

professional services, and port staging sectors. These do not include impacts that arise 

from expenditures for inputs used in a project. 

• Turbine and supply chain impacts represent economic activity that is supported by 

inputs purchased for a project or business to business services. These include locally 

manufactured inputs such as blades and locally procured inputs used to manufacture 

those blades, such as resin and fiberglass. This category also includes services provided 

by professionals such as analysts and attorneys who negotiate contract agreements, banks 

that finance the projects, and all equipment companies and manufacturers of replacement 

and repair parts.

• Induced impacts accrue as money circulates in an economy. Households spend earnings 

from project development and onsite labor impacts as well as turbine and supply chain 

impacts. The portion of these earnings spent within the region of analysis supports 

induced impacts. These effects commonly occur in the retail sales, child care, leisure and 

hospitality, and real estate sectors.

Figure 3 shows a graphical representation of the three types of impacts from JEDI.

 5 If, for example, JEDI reports a construction phase impact of 50 workers to build a project that takes 2 years to 

complete, this is the equivalent of an average of 25 workers per year (50 / 2 = 25). If the same project took 3 years, 

the average would be 17 (rounded) workers per year.

6 Typically, I-O models organize impacts into direct, indirect, and induced effects. JEDI categories differ from these. 

Project development and onsite labor impacts include less-than-direct effects from project expenditures, and turbine 

and supply chain impacts are more broad than the indirect effects from project expenditures. The Wind JEDI User 

Reference Guide (www.nrel.gov/analysis/jedi) contains more information about these differences.
7

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Figure 3. JEDI Wind model economic development impact categories 

JEDI reports three metrics for each type of impact: jobs, earnings, and gross output. JEDI utilizes 

intuitive labels when reporting these metrics, such as “jobs” and “earnings.” Each metric, 

however, has a specific definition that informs how it should be interpreted.

• Jobs are expressed as full-time equivalent (FTE). One job is the equivalent of one person 

working 40 hours per week, year-round. Two people working full-time for 6 months 

equal one FTE. Two people working 20 hours per week for 12 months also equal one 

FTE. An FTE could alternately be referred to as a person-year or job-year. Jobs, as 

reported by JEDI, are not limited to those who work for an employer; they could include 

other types of workers, such as sole proprietors (self-employed).

• Earnings include any type of income from work, generally an employee’s wage or salary 

and supplemental costs paid by employers such as health insurance and retirement. It 

could also be other non-wage compensation for work performed, such as proprietor 

earnings. 

• Gross output is the total amount of economic activity that occurs within an economy 

(within the region of analysis). It is the value of what is sold within that economy as well 

as inputs used in production. A $500,000 wind turbine blade that uses $100,000 in locally 

sourced materials, for example, would result in $600,000 in output.7

 7 This should not be confused with gross domestic or state product, which is a measure of the value of production. 
8

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As with all economic models, there are caveats and limitations to the use of JEDI. I-O models in 

general utilize fixed, proportional relationships between economy sectors. This means that

factors that could change this, such as price changes that lead households to change consumption 

patterns, are not considered. 

JEDI provides estimates of economic impacts given the user-specified expenditures and 

economic conditions when I-O data were compiled. Impacts that extend into the future (such as 

O&M impacts) are assumed to do so if all else is constant. There can be any number of changes 

in a dynamic economy that JEDI does not consider, so these future results should not be 

considered a forecast. They simply reflect how a project might look if it were completed in the 

current economy under the user-specified cost and local content assumptions.

JEDI results are based on project inputs, and these inputs can change from project to project. 

This is especially true of nascent technologies or technologies that have not yet been widely 

deployed in the United States. If an analyst wishes to estimate impacts from a specific project, 

tailoring inputs to that project should produce more accurate results. JEDI does not evaluate 

whether inputs are reasonable, nor does it determine whether a project is feasible or profitable. 

Results from JEDI models are gross, not net. JEDI only calculates what economic activity would 

be supported by demand created by project expenditures. Other changes in an economy may take 

place that JEDI does not consider. These include supply-side impacts such as price changes, 

changes in taxes or subsidies, utility rate changes, or changes in property values. JEDI also does 

not incorporate far-reaching effects such as greenhouse gas emissions, displaced investment, or 

potential side effects of a project such as changes in recreation or tourism. 
9

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Case Study: Wind Farm Tours in Benton County 

Since the first turbines were erected in Benton and White Counties, they have captured 

the attention of motorists driving along Interstate 65, the main road through the two 

counties. Benton County’s economic development office recently began to host 

educational tours for visitors interested in learning about Benton County agriculture 

and history and decided to add a wind farm component to the range of tours offered.

“The county commissioners contracted with Harry Hoover in May 2010 to run tours for 

a set per-hour fee,” explained Lelia Jozwiak, who manages the tours for the 

development office. “Harry is a retired Benton County school teacher who has 

followed and filmed the wind turbines’ construction since day one – this combination 

of interest and skills makes him a terrific tour guide.”

Figure 4. Benton County Wind Farm tour advertisement. Source: Benton County

Fees for the wind tours are paid to the economic development office, with income 

accumulating in a special account that covers supplies for the tours and tour guide. The 

income is minimal because tour prices are kept affordable, but it ensures that the 

program can pay Hoover and be self-sustaining.

Among the benefits of the tours is the opportunity to dispel inaccurate notions about 

turbine noise and vibration, said Jozwiak. She said that after seeing the towers up close, 

most visitors find their pre-conceived notions are exaggerated and they discover 

minimal noise and vibration. The tours help educate students of every level, as well as 

members of the public intrigued by the wind farms. 
10

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2.2 Indiana Wind Speeds at Different Hub Heights

The extent of future wind deployment in Indiana is dependent on the wind resource. A greater 

resource leads to more electricity production from wind plants, decreasing the cost of electricity 

generated by wind. This resource varies at different heights, making measuring and estimating 

the resource for a number of wind turbine configurations a vital part of planning for future 

growth.

The three maps in Figure 5 represent annual wind speed estimates at three potential turbine 

heights: 50, 70, and 100 meters. AWS TrueWind produced these estimates and NREL and wind 

energy meteorological consultants validated them. Using these data, NREL estimated that the 

available wind potential in Indiana could produce more than 377,000 GWh each year, roughly 

5% more than the energy consumed in the state in 2011 (Lopez et al. 2012; EIA 2013a). In 

previous years, only the 50-m dataset was available, so the Indiana wind speed map did not look 

as promising. With measurements taken at higher heights and wind turbines available with hub 

heights at 80 m and higher, the Indiana wind speed map shows much greater potential than 

previously identified.

Figure 5. Indiana wind resource at three hub heights 
11

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2.3 Scenario and Data

This report relies on empirical data obtained from wind power developers, the American Wind 

Energy Association (AWEA), and the Global Energy Concepts (GEC) database. Data for each 

project include information regarding project location, completion status, year online, total 

nameplate capacity, turbine manufacturer, owner, number of turbines, and turbine size. This 

analysis includes seven projects totaling 1,339 MW (Table 2). In this report, we calculate 

employment and other impacts from the 1,339 MW in Indiana and also show results in terms of 

employment and impacts per 1,000 MW to make comparisons and averages easier.

Table 2. Wind Projects Analyzed for this Report

Project County(ies) Capacity (MW)

Benton Benton 131

Fowler Benton 600

Meadow I White, Jasper, Benton 200

Meadow II White, Jasper, Benton 99

Meadow III White, Jasper, Benton 104

Meadow IV White, Jasper, Benton 99

Hoosier Benton 106

Total 1,339

We conducted further research into each of the projects by collecting publicly available project 

data from media reports and figures provided by developers and operators. These provided 

information about construction and operating costs, employment, and other data utilized in the 

JEDI models. Developers and operators later validated these data. 

We also conducted extensive interviews with developers, county commissioners, stakeholders, 

and other industry experts involved with the projects analyzed. Interview data included detailed 

cost data not available to the public, percentage of expenditures made in Indiana, project 

employment, and information on wages, land lease payments, and taxes. 8 Each of the Indiana 

projects analyzed was modeled individually before aggregating results for this report.

The following tables show summaries of the expenditure and local percentage input data used in 

the JEDI model for construction and O&M.

Table 3. Construction Input Data Summary

Item Expenditure ($ Mil.) Percent Local

Equipment $ 1,830 0%

Materials $ 331 82%

Construction labor $ 159 57%

Development & other costs $ 2,487 59%

 8 Specifics from these conversations are confidential and cannot be disclosed, which is why this report does not list 

detailed inputs used in the JEDI model. The appendix in Section 5 contains more detailed cost and local content 

estimates used in JEDI modeling. To avoid disclosing expenditures or purchases at any individual site, these are 

aggregated across all sites. 
12

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Table 4. O&M Input Data Summary

Item Expenditure ($ Mil.) Percent Local

Personnel $8.7 100%

Materials & services $20.1 21%

2.4 Socioeconomic Statistics

Existing employment and population in Indiana provide context for any impacts supported by the 

wind industry. Employment and wages are significant drivers of population change (Greenwood 

& Hunt 1989). If economic growth occurs without a qualified workforce, it will likely drive inmigration of qualified workers. Conversely, if a workforce cannot find jobs in a given region, 

this will likely result in out-migration of those workers. By supporting jobs, the wind industry 

can help stabilize populations, especially in regions with high unemployment or slow job growth. 

In 2011, Indiana was home to approximately 6.5 million residents, 4.1 million of whom were 

between the ages of 18 and 65 (U.S. Census Bureau 2013). Total employment in 2011 was 3.6 

million, leaving just under 500,000 working-age adults without jobs (BEA 2012, U.S. Census

Bureau 2013). Not all of these adults were labor force participants – Indiana’s unemployment 

rate in 2011 was an average of 9%, or 283,000, in 2011 (BLS 2012). Working-age adults not 

included as labor force participants include people who were not actively seeking employment 

(applying for jobs) and those who could not work.

Job growth in Indiana during the 2000s was roughly in line with the nation as a whole (Figure 6). 

The average annual growth rate from 2001 up to the 2008 recession was 0.4%, slightly lagging 

the national average of 0.5%.
13

This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)

Figure 6. Percent change in employment in Indiana 

The wind power projects analyzed in this report are located in three Indiana counties: Benton, 

Jasper, and White. Benton is the smallest of the three, and its population had just more than 

4,300 jobs in 2011. Benton is followed by White and Jasper (Table 2). Jasper, the largest county, 

had positive annual average job growth between 2001 and 2011, whereas Benton and White, on 

average, shed jobs over that time period.

Table 5. Indiana County Employment Levels in 2011

County 2011 Employment Average Annual Job 

Change

2001-2011

Benton 4,339 -0.7%

Jasper 16,012 0.2%

White 10,346 -1.3%

Source: BEA 2012

-5.0%

-4.0%

-3.0%

-2.0%

-1.0%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Percent Change from Previous Year

Indiana United States
14

This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Case Study: Wind Power in Benton County

As of June 2013, Indiana had 1,543 MW of wind energy online. More relevant to residents of 

Benton County, the location of the state’s first wind farms, are the resulting jobs generated. 

Four years after installation efforts began, Dan Bennett, owner of Bennett’s Garage in Earl 

Park, still marvels at the effects of the three wind farms in the county. 

“I never would have imagined the impact that they’ve had on the town,” he said. 

The first wind farm in Benton County is located about 1,000 feet from the edge of Earl Park 

where Bennett lives and works. RMT, Inc. (formerly known as Wind Connect) led the effort 

to site, engineer, and build the 87-turbine Benton County Wind Farm, breaking ground in July 

2007 and finishing in May 2008. 

“We first got to know the Wind Connect project managers when they introduced themselves 

at a safety meeting they held at our fire station,” explained Bennett. 

Many of the first wind farm workers did not live in Earl Park, which meant they had limited 

familiarity with the local roads. Bennett said that the driver of a truck with only 23 miles on it 

inadvertently caught the side of an asphalt road, causing him to hit a culvert and wreck the 

truck. According to Bennett, this occurred due to the driver's inexperience with the roads. As 

a result of these sorts of difficulties, RMT depended on Bennett and his team even in the first 

days of the project, which led to a significant increase in business throughout construction. 

RMT needed additional employees as construction ramped up. They hired many locals from 

Benton and nearby counties to work on the wind farms and also leased and bought a large 

number of pickup trucks in the local area to meet project needs. According to Kelly Kepner, 

head of Benton County’s economic development program, Earl Park and surrounding towns 

benefitted from visiting construction workers renting houses, staying in hotels, and 

patronizing local restaurants and other service businesses. Largely because of increased 

business, by November 2007 Bennett said that he was able to buy a new semi-truck and 

trailer for his towing business; later, with the installation of a second wind farm in 2008 

(Fowler Ridge Phase I), he bought another semi/trailer combination. 

The biggest construction push for the Benton County Wind Farm occurred in January 2008. 

RMT managers believed that the ground would be frozen during this time of year, making 

delivery of heavy machinery, construction equipment, and materials to the turbine sites 

relatively easy. Contrary to their expectations, although the ground froze overnight, by 10 

a.m. the next day the soil turned to mud as the temperature increased, stranding the semis 

delivering wind-farm equipment and construction materials. After towing a number of the 

trucks and other large equipment out of the mud, Bennett approached RMT with an idea to 

create a hauler with a special dolly that could be attached to a semi or a bulldozer when 

moving supplies and equipment to the site. RMT approved the hauler – essentially a heavyduty trailer, capable of carrying up to 60 tons and equipped with tires able to churn through 

mud – with the caveat that it had to be delivered quickly. Bennett's crew worked 14-hour days 

to finish the trailer. In less than 2 weeks they completed the hauler. Semis were switched out 

with a bulldozer, which transported materials onto the muddy soil.
15

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Since then, Bennett has created new versions of the hauler. His wife launched Wind Hall, a 

business that rents or sells versions of Bennett’s original trailer to other wind farm developers 

in Indiana, as well as states as far west as Utah, as far north as North Dakota, and throughout 

the Midwest. This new start-up – a play on words featuring his wife’s maiden name of Hall –

is a profitable business, and developers building wind farms in nearby states now seek 

Bennett’s expertise. 

Soon after the first wind farm was completed, work began on the second Benton County wind 

farm: Fowler Ridge Phase I. The timeline called for installation of more than 220 turbines in 8 

months. 

Bennett and his team also became involved in the Fowler Ridge construction effort, making 

an average of 21 runs a day to load, unload, and deliver parts and equipment to the site. In this 

instance, Bennett hired a wide variety of people, including local teenagers to help with 

flagging and setting cones to ensure traffic safety throughout the construction and materials’ 

delivery process. 

“The teens loved it. They received $10 an hour for flagging, a lot more than they would have 

otherwise earned,” Bennett said.

Benton County farmers receive annual lease payments from both of these wind projects for 

turbines and turbine-related equipment (e.g., an access road or underground lines) sited on 

their land. Annual lease rates vary by farm and type of equipment installed but range from 

$3,000 to $6,000 annually. The Fowler Ridge Phase I project employed approximately 850 

workers at the peak of construction, with 36 full-time staff employed to monitor and maintain 

the wind farm post-construction. 

Among other revenue-generation benefits, developers bought concrete and other supplies 

locally, the county received economic development incentives, and new roads were built 

(according to Bennett, to a higher standard than previously existed). According to Kepner, 

between land payments, jobs, and secondary economic benefits (money spent on gas and food 

at local restaurants and grocery stores, for example), Benton County did not feel the recession 

until a year after it began.

While the economic developments were appreciated by those living and working in the 

county, inconveniences also resulted. Roads received wear and tear from the large vehicles 

driving over them, and disruptions from construction and traffic congestion often proved 

bothersome. In some cases, construction resulted in broken drainage tiles on farmland. Wind 

developers replaced these and also compensated farmers for crop-loss damages due to 

drainage issues. Also, a third wind farm built in Benton County largely relied on out-of-state 

workers, so the county did not benefit as much. 

However, according to Bennett, for most people, the positives seem to outweigh the 

negatives.

“It’s hard now to find someone in the area who doesn’t approve of the projects. As a matter of 

fact, everyone wishes we’d get another wind farm – or a couple,” he said.
16

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3 Results: Estimated Economic Impacts

We used the JEDI model to estimate the economic impacts of each of the Indiana wind power 

projects included in this study. Individual project economic impacts were then aggregated to 

reflect combined impacts from 1,339 MW of wind energy development in Indiana. This study 

presents results scaled to 1,000 MW of installed wind to facilitate comparisons with other case 

studies.

Study results show significant potential economic impacts (see Figure 7). Impacts reported are 

centered on JEDI model results, which include employment, property taxes, landowner revenue, 

and local economic activity during the construction and operation periods (see Table 6). 

Although estimating all wind-related impacts was beyond the scope of this analysis, it is 

important to note that new wind power installations provide many other tangible (e.g., use tax 

generation, sales tax generation, water savings, vendor profits, transmission line impacts, etc.) 

and intangible (e.g., long-term electricity price stability, consumer prices, environmental 

benefits) impacts. 

Figure 7. Economic ripple effect from 1,000 MW of wind energy in Indiana
17

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Table 6. Indiana Summary Economic Impacts from 1,000 MW of Wind Energy Development

During construction periods Supported approximately 4,400 FTE jobs in Indiana and 

approximately $570 million in economic activity for the state

During operating periods Annually supports approximately 260 Indiana jobs 

Annually supports nearly $40 million in gross economic activity in the

state

Generates more than $8 million in annual property taxes 

Generates nearly $4 million annually in income for Indiana 

landowners who lease their land for wind energy projects

Results are provided in 2010 real dollars

3.1 Construction Phase

A typical construction period for a wind power plant lasts between 6 and 12 months. During that 

period, local project expenditures support a wide range of economic activity. These expenditures 

include compensating the laborers, administrative staff, engineers, and managers who directly 

work on the project as well as expenditures made in local establishments such as hotels or 

restaurants. Developers spent more than $2.5 billion to construct the seven wind-powered 

electricity generation facilities examined in this report, an average of approximately $1,900/kW. 

About $553 million of this, or 22%, was spent in Indiana. 

Other states and countries realized much of the economic benefit related to the manufacturing of 

wind components in the six largest Indiana projects; this is not accounted for in this report. 

Vestas accounted for the majority of manufacturing, with its turbines 37% of the projects’ 

nameplate capacities. General Electric (GE) produced nearly as much with 32%. REPower, 

Suzlon, Clipper, and Acciona were all utilized, and each account for less than 10% of total 

capacity. Developers spent approximately $1.8 billion on this equipment.

The ability of producers to source goods or services from within the state plays a significant role 

in local content percentages. Developers are not obligated to purchase goods from in-state 

suppliers, and in the first 1,000 MW built in Indiana, there were no in-state options for major 

turbine and tower equipment. However, producers in this study had the option of purchasing 

wind-specific components and materials from 14 manufacturing facilities throughout Indiana. 

Since the construction of the wind power generation facilities included in this report, new 

manufacturing facilities have been built in Indiana. Manufacturer Brevini constructed a $62 

million gearbox manufacturing plant in Muncie. 

3.1.1 Gross Output

Project expenditures supported approximately $570 million of gross economic output in Indiana.

Gross output includes local expenditures as well as wages and salaries earned. As shown in 

Figure 8, most of this output, $400 million, is related to supplying construction materials, 

equipment, business to business services, and other goods or services that fall within the Turbine 

and Supply Chain Impacts category. 
18

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Figure 8. Gross economic output impacts from construction of 1,000 MW of wind projects

3.1.2 Jobs and Earnings

For the seven wind farms analyzed, 50% to 75% of construction workers were Indiana residents. 

According to our interviews with developers, some contracts required that a percentage of 

workers be hired from the area in which the wind project was developed. Certain specialized 

positions related to the electrical collection system and project management required labor 

outsourcing from other states or countries. 

This research suggests that 1,000 MW of Indiana wind power development supports 

approximately 4,400 FTE jobs (Table 6). Of these, nearly 690 are onsite workers who are 

directly involved in a project’s development. More than 2,800 workers - the majority - are supply 

chain workers or contractors. These can include manufacturing workers, construction 

subcontractors, or white collar contractors such as accountants or lawyers. These onsite workers, 

contractors, or other supply chain workers support another 900 FTE induced jobs with the 

expenditures that they make within Indiana (e.g., they stay at hotels and eat at restaurants near 

the project, increasing the need for work in those industries).

$60 million

$400 million

$110 million

Project Development

and Onsite Labor

Impacts

Turbine and Supply

Chain Impacts

Induced Impacts
19

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Table 7. Estimated Job Impacts from the Wind Plant Construction Phase

Total Jobs Jobs Per 1,000 MW Average Annual 

Earnings Per 

Worker

Project Development &

Onsite Labor Impacts

930 690 $67,670

Construction &

Interconnection Labor

Impacts

610 450 $67,120

Construction-Related 

Services Impacts

320 240 $68,690

Turbine & Supply Chain 

Impacts

3,770 2,820 $47,990

Induced Impacts 1,200 900 $38,510

Total Impacts 5,900 4,410 $49,150

Note: Totals may not sum due to rounding

Construction-period jobs were relatively well-paid, with this analysis estimating direct onsite 

employees earning an average of approximately $68,000 annually. Indiana jobs that supply 

services or materials, turbine and supply chain impacts earned approximately $48,000 annually. 

Induced jobs earned approximately $39,000. 

3.2 Operations & Maintenance

Wind farm operators need to maintain and operate their facilities, which have expected life spans 

of 20 to 30 years. This includes staffing projects with technicians, administrators, and managers 

and budgeting for materials, replacement parts, and services as well as required environmental or 

other reviews. In the case of the seven wind farms analyzed in this report, operators also make 

lease payments to local landowners and pay property taxes to local governments. Debt and 

equity payments are outside the scope of this analysis.

Interviews with industry experts and developers revealed that operators spend an average of 

approximately $44.6 million annually to operate and maintain the seven wind farms. With the 

exception of spare parts and insurance, most of this is spent in Indiana. Local expenditures total 

$28.7 million annually, which translates to approximately $21.4 million per 1,000 MW. 

3.2.1 Gross Output

The first 1,000 MW of wind in Indiana support approximately $40 million of economic activity, 

or gross output, annually. The majority of this, $24 million, is through the supply chain, 

landowner revenue, or business to business services. Onsite labor impacts account for the 

smallest share, $6 million. Onsite workers such as technicians and managers as well as supply 

chain workers are estimated to support an additional $9 million in economic activity each year 

that the wind facilities operate.
20

This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Figure 9. Annual gross economic output impacts from O&M of 1,000 MW of wind

3.2.2 Jobs and Earnings

When the wind farms are operational, they need long-term employees to operate and maintain 

the facility during their 20- to 30-year expected life spans. These long-term or ongoing positions 

are positions earning average salaries between $30,000 to more than $90,000 annually. The 

majority of these positions will be filled by Indiana residents or by people who relocate to 

Indiana. 

Table 8. Estimated Annual Ongoing Jobs and Earnings from O&M

Total Jobs Jobs Per 1,000 MW Average Annual 

Earnings 

Onsite Labor Impacts 130 100 $65,640

Local Revenue & Supply 

Chain Impacts

130 90 $43,550

Induced Impacts 100 70 $38,520

Total Impacts 350 260 $50,210

Note: Totals may not sum due to rounding

This research shows that 1,000 MW of wind energy capacity in the State of Indiana support 

approximately 260 permanent jobs with a total annual payroll of $13 million. Of these jobs, 100 

are onsite positions directly involved with maintaining wind farms, including technicians, 

supervisors, and administrative workers. Nearly as many – 90 jobs – are indirectly involved with 

the plant’s operation. These can include contractual services, manufacturing of replacement 

parts, and jobs arising due to revenue or returns realized locally (i.e., landowner payments) from 

the plant’s operation. Expenditures made by the 190 onsite and offsite workers support an 

additional 70 long-term jobs in industries that provide local services or products. 

$6 million

$24 million

$9 million

Onsite Labor Impacts

Turbine and Supply Chain

Impacts

Induced Impacts
21

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Case Study: An Interdisciplinary Focus at St. Joseph's College

Indiana's wind farms have also touched St. Joseph’s College, located in nearby Jasper County. A 

Catholic liberal arts college named among the best Midwestern colleges by the Princeton Review, 

St. Joseph’s received a land grant of more than 7,600 acres in 2010 from the trust of Juanita 

Waugh; the $40-million gift is the largest in the school’s history. 

Waugh’s farm, located in White County, had been in her family for generations. At the time of her 

death, she had 19 operational wind turbines on the property, and Meadow Lake Wind Farm 

planned to construct an additional 13. Once the turbines are operating, St. Joseph's College will be 

the largest private landowner with the most wind turbines east of the Mississippi River, according 

to Connie Neininger, executive director of White County’s economic development department. 

Having the wind farms on the property will facilitate the college’s ability to sustain Waugh’s 

stipulation that the land remain undeveloped.

Although St. Joseph’s has 501(c)(3) status, which would allow the school to claim an exemption 

from property taxes, the college will continue paying taxes on the land. 

“We made a conscious decision not to take that much acreage off the tax rolls. White County is a 

small, rural county, and highly dependent on tax income – just like Jasper County. Using our taxexempt status wouldn’t be the neighborly thing to do,” said Sandy McMullen, St. Joseph’s grants 

and contracts director. 

While the transfer deed allows use of land for educational purposes, it prohibits sale of the farm 

real estate and stipulates establishment of a conservation easement. To achieve this latter, the 

school envisions taking advantage of an unusual-shaped piece of non-arable land located near the 

major highway running through Jasper, White, and Benton Counties. This section of property also 

happens to overlook the wind farms of Benton and White Counties, which are of significant 

interest to tourists. College officials are in the preliminary stages of developing a plan to build a 

center focused on sustainability, with wind and other renewable energy being a significant 

highlight. Not only will this serve to educate St. Joseph’s students and public visitors, but also 

among the benefits is higher visibility – literally and figuratively – for the college.

Stewardship of the land and care of the poor and vulnerable is both a collective and educational 

ethic for St. Joseph’s College and its faculty and students – in part this ethos and the academics led 

Waugh to donate the land to the college.

“This focus is a key aspect of Catholic social teaching and includes social justice and the 

environment, including considering issues such as the effects of climate change on people and 

places. Sustainability – which includes considering wind and other renewable energy – as a 

curricular focus achieves this end, bridging across all of the college’s disciplines,” explained Lana 

Zimmer, an associate professor at St. Joseph’s College.

In the spirit of sharing the beneficence of Waugh’s donation and achieving one of the school’s 

strategic goals, St. Joseph's is collaborating with other educational institutions, including Ivy Tech

(see case study on Page 3). St. Joseph's is also developing closer associations with nearby Catholic 

colleges – including Calumet College, which is a sister institution in Whiting, Indiana, and Ancilla 

College, a Catholic institution in Donaldson, Indiana – with a focus on each college’s approach to 

sustainability curriculum and projects related to this focus.
22

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4 Conclusion

NREL research has expanded knowledge of Indiana’s wind resource and shown far greater 

potential for wind-generated electricity than was thought in previous years. The development of 

wind-powered electricity generation infrastructure has the potential to support millions of dollars 

of economic activity in Indiana, both from construction and operation of facilities. Current 

development of manufacturing facilities in Indiana enhances the state’s ability to capture 

economic activity from the wind power supply chain as well.

Wind energy manufacturing is the largest economic development driver in the wind industry. It 

has the potential to provide significantly more jobs and associated economic impacts compared 

to other wind activities. Supporting local ownership of manufacturing facilities, as well as use of 

local labor and materials, can provide further opportunities for Indiana’s economic 

diversification and economic growth.

This analysis estimates that the construction of the first 1,000 MW of wind in Indiana supported 

$570 million in in-state gross economic activity and more than 4,400 jobs. The O&M of the 

facilities supports approximately $40 million in economic activity annually, as well as an 

estimated 260 Indiana jobs. These estimates are based on project expenditures and local content 

assumptions provided by the developers and operators and assume 20% of construction 

expenditures are made in Indiana and 40% of O&M expenditures are in-state. 

The burgeoning wind sector also stimulates a secondary supply chain ripple effect as wind 

industry participants (developers, service providers, manufacturers, etc.) start up or relocate to 

the state. While outside the scope of this analysis, this second wave carries with it additional 

economic impacts associated with training workers, exporting goods outside of the state, 

fostering research and development, and developing leading-edge technologies and capabilities. 
23

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References

American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). (2010). “U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market 

Report.”American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). (2013). “State Wind Energy Statistics: 

Indiana.” www.awea.org/Resources/state.aspx?ItemNumber=5225

Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). (2012). “Total full-time and part-time employment by 

industry.” Accessed from 

http://bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?reqid=70&step=1&isuri=1&acrdn=5#reqid=70&step=1&isuri=1

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). (2012). “Local area unemployment statistics.” Accessed from 

http://bls.gov/lau/#data

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE). (2013). “Indiana Clean 

Energy Portfolio Goal.” DSIRE USA. Accessed October 21, 2013. 

http://dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=IN12R

Energy Information Administration (EIA). (2013a). “Electricity Data Browser.” Energy 

Information Administration. Accessed September 18, 2013. 

www.eia.gov/state/seds/data.cfm?incfile=/state/seds/sep_sum/html/sum_btu_eu.html

Energy Information Administration (EIA). (2013b). “Indiana State Energy Profile.” Accessed 

October 31, 2013. www.eia.gov/state/print.cfm?sid=IN

Greenwood, M.J.; Hunt, G.L. (1989). “Jobs versus amenities in the analysis of metropolitan 

migration.” Journal of Urban Economics (25:1); pp. 1-16.

Indiana Office of Energy Development (OED). (2013). “Indiana Office of Energy Development: 

Wind Power.” State of Indiana. Accessed October 31, 2013. www.in.gov/oed/2413.htm

Lantz, E.; Tegen, S. (2008). “Variables Affecting Economic Development of Wind Energy.” 

NREL/CP-500-43506. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO. 

www.osti.gov/scitech/biblio/935591

Lopez, A.; Roberts, B.; Heimiller, D.; Blair, N.; Porro, G. 2012. “U.S. Renewable Energy 

Technical Potentials: A GIS-Based Analysis.” NREL/TP-6A20-51946. National Renewable 

Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO. www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/51946.pdf

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). (2014). "Indiana 80-Meter Wind 

Map and Wind Resource Potential." U.S. Department of Energy. 

http://apps2.eere.energy.gov/wind/windexchange/wind_resource_maps.asp?stateab=in

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). (2004). “Wind Energy for Rural 

Economic Development.” U.S. Department of Energy. www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/33590.pdf

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). (2013). “Indiana Wind Working 

Group.” U.S. Department of Energy. 

http://apps2.eere.energy.gov/wind/windexchange/filter_detail.asp?itemid=1192
24

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U.S. Census Bureau, Data Integration Division. (2013). “Population Estimates.” Accessed 

October 30, 2013. www.census.gov/popest
25

This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Appendix: Cost and Local Content Estimates

Tables A.1 and A.2 contain total cost and local (Indiana) content estimates used in JEDI 

modeling for all projects. These are aggregated across all projects modeled in this analysis to 

avoid disclosing details of individual projects. Table A.1 contains one-time cost and local 

content estimates for the construction of wind plants while Table A.2 contains ongoing cost and 

local content estimates for the O&M phase. 

Table A.1. Construction Cost Totals and Local Purchases across All Projects

Construction Costs Totals Percent Local

Equipment

Turbines $1,116,749,925 0

Blades $261,446,471 0

Towers $289,458,593 0

Transportation $162,259,682 0

Equipment total $1,829,914,670 

Balance of plant

Materials

Construction (concrete rebar, equip, roads & site prep) $230,239,052 83%

Transformer $22,910,078 72%

Electrical (drop cable, wire) $27,452,990 84%

HV line extension $50,147,453 81%

Materials subtotal $330,749,573 

Labor

Foundation $11,591,563 62%

Erection $13,129,090 60%

Electrical $19,133,038 60%

Management/supervision $9,928,169 52%

Misc. $105,695,781 57%

Labor subtotal $159,477,641 

Development/other costs

HV sub/Interconnection

Materials $55,450,786 40%

Labor $16,985,669 37%

Engineering $46,078,648 59%

Legal services $18,964,203 86%

Land easements 0

Site certificate $29,169,183 90%

Development/other subtotal $166,648,489 

Balance of plant total $656,875,703 

Total project costs $2,486,790,373 
26

This report is available at no cost from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at www.nrel.gov/publications.

Table A.2 O&M Cost Totals and Local Content Purchases across All Projects

Totals Percent Local

Personnel

Field salaries $6,706,392 100%

Administrative $654,216 100%

Management $1,294,859 100%

Labor/personnel subtotal $8,655,466 

Materials & services

Vehicles $617,731 95%

Misc. services $240,915 85%

Fees, permits, licenses $120,458 95%

Misc. materials $481,830 95%

Insurance $3,083,181 28%

Fuel (motor vehicle gasoline) $240,915 95%

Tools & misc. supplies $1,565,950 95%

Spare parts inventory $13,722,907 2%

Materials & services subtotal $20,073,887 

Debt payment (average annual) $288,467,683 0%

Equity payment - individuals $0

Equity payment - corporate $85,545,589 0%

Property taxes $10,927,737 100%

Land lease $4,958,800 100%

Total annual O&M costs $418,629,163