Some wind jobs are coming back

At AWEA we like to stress that wind energy means jobs–after all, every one of a turbine's 8,000 parts has to be manufactured. Fortunately, some of the jobs lost during the recession are coming back. This week PPG Industries added 180 employees to restart a furnace at its fiber glass plant in Lexington, N.C. The company said the move is in response to increased orders coming from both the wind and environmental filtration markets. (Turbine blades are made of fiberglass and other composites.)

Some of the newly hired employees were recalled from layoffs, the company said.

“The restart of the second furnace at Lexington helps position PPG to support increasing demand for fiber glass as the economy returns,” said Kevin McDonald, PPG general manager for fiber glass reinforcements in the Americas and Europe.

It's worth noting that these jobs are in North Carolina, not a big wind energy state. Imagine what a national renewable energy standard (RES) would do to stimulate even more jobs.

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