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Will Philly ever be called the Windy City (for its wind industry, that is)?
greenoptimistic.com
Will Philly ever be called the Windy City (for its wind industry, that is)?
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| greenoptimistic.com |
For a while there, it looked like Philly was poised to become the Eastern capital of wind power. In 2004, PECO gave citizens the option of purchasing wind energy to power their homes and businesses. Two years later, Gamesa, the second-largest maker of wind turbines in the world, opened three manufacturing facilities in Bucks County. And then the city really got serious about wind power — by involving its beloved football team. Last year, the Eagles announced that wind energy would power its training complex and Lincoln Financial Field.
Unfortunately, the region's wind industry has reached a roadblock. This month, Gamesa said that it will close its blade-manufacturing branch in Bucks County, laying off 184 workers. The branch will relocate to western Pennsylvania, where there is more physical space to make larger blades. The Philadelphia region can't really compete with that. But, as Hamida Kinge reported in Next American City, Gamesa faces another problem:
“We have lost a generation of skills in this country because manufacturing has been shipped overseas,” says Peck, “and we now need to retrain our people in key manufacturing areas to keep up with the renewable energy sector.” In the past, Gamesa has had to send some of its green-collar workers to Spain for training.
The good news is that Bucks County seems to be on top of this:
Now, “Bucks County Community College is our primary source of training,” Peck says. The college performs on-the-job and technical training and is currently putting together a professional development program for the company’s management team.
But is that enough to keep Gamesa here? If President Obama keeps his word on doubling the country's use of renewable energy, then wind power will certainly play a role in that. Here's hoping that Philly will, too.
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