Blowin’ in the Wind: Did Bob Dylan Predict the Future of Wind Energy?

Besides being a rock-n-roll legend, Bob Dylan might have been a clairvoyant too. When he penned his famous song, “Blowin’ in the Wind” back in ‘62, and wrote, “the answers my friend are blowin’ in the wind,” he had no idea he was also scripting the playbook for the future of energy.

Wind. It’s free, ever-present, inexhaustible, and when it’s not messing up a good hair day, it’s solving today’s energy woes. Harnessing the wind to create energy was only a fledgling concept in Dylan’s early years, but now it’s one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world. According to energy.gov, here’s why we should all be singing about it:

Wind Is Work

Wind turbine service technicians are the second fastest growing U.S. job of the decade. And over 120,000 people work in the U.S. wind industry across all 50 states. Boom. Will work for wind.

Wind Is Crazy Clean

Wind turbines, using mechanical power to spin a generator, provide electricity without burning fuel or producing pollution. The big win: wind energy helps avoid 329 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually – equivalent to 71 million cars worth of emissions.

Wind Is Community Revenue

Wind projects nationwide deliver an estimated $1.9 billion in state and local tax payments and land-lease payments each year. That’s extra revenue for schools, local infrastructure projects, and more.

Wind Is Lost-Cost High-Tech

What’s one of the lowest-priced energy sources available today? Easy answer. Land-based, utility-scale wind turbines. And as the science and technology behind these breezy machines improves, so do the clean advantages and cost savings.

Wind Is Easy Going

From agricultural to multi-use working landscapes, rural or remote areas, such as farms and ranches or coastal and island communities, building infrastructure for wind energy capture is an easy fit almost anywhere.  

We’re only beginning to hit the high notes with wind energy. As OCPA grows its clean energy portfolio, wind will continue to be a big player in delivering tomorrow’s cleanest, leanest, and greenest energy, at pricing that is competitive or better than investor-owned energy providers. The answer, my friend, is blowin’ close to home.

About Orange County Power Authority

The Orange County Power Authority is a not-for-profit public agency that offers clean power at competitive rates, significantly reducing energy-related greenhouse emissions and enabling reinvestment in local energy programs. To learn more, visit www.ocpower.org.