http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/08/wind-power-industry/2/Due to transport costs, the biggest, heaviest components were the first to be made domestically. Twenty U.S. facilities presently manufacture utility-scale turbine towers. Fourteen have come online since 2005 and eight more have recently been announced. Thirteen U.S. facilities presently make turbine blades, nine of which came online since 2005. Three are announced.
The second wave of expansion was in the assembly of the nacelle, the heart and brain of a wind turbine. The majority of U.S. nacelles are assembled at eight domestic facilities. There are eight more such facilities in planning stages.
Most recently, an expansion in the manufacture of the highly engineered mechanical and electrical nacelle internals has begun.
Each wave of expansion swept in a supply chain of nuts, bolts, grease and adhesives makers. By 2009, component manufacturing had become the biggest growth sub-sector.
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We could have had a vibrant domestic windpower industry in the 80's and 90's - but thanks to Reagan and the GOP, those jobs went to Denmark and Germany.
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