Jens Søby, president of Vestas Americas

Vestas, the world’s largest supplier of wind turbines, chose Houston, Tex., as the location for its new U.S. research center. The Danish company with headquarters in Portland considered numerous locations—including Portland—before deciding on Houston as the hub for its U.S.-based research.

With about one-quarter of the country’s installed wind capacity, Texas is one of  Vestas' main markets. In 2007, the state’s 4,296 megawatts (MW) of wind generation was about twice that of California’s, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Houston’s location near three major universities—the University of Houston, Texas A&M and the University of Texas in Austin—as well as its access to a highly qualified workforce led Vestas to choose the city over others, according to Finn Strøm Madsen, president of Vestas Technology R&D.

Vestas plans to open the research centre in Houston in 2009. When the center is fully operational in 2010, it would employ about 100 people. The company plans to increase collaboration with leading U.S. technology companies, universities and institutes both in and outside of Texas.

As demand for renewable energy generation continues to rise throughout the United States, Vestas continues to increase the number of staff at its Portland headquarters. State officials say the company could add up to 200 new jobs at its Portland office in coming years, according to a June 4, 2008 article in the Oregonian.

Vestas grew out of its downtown Portland headquarters in 2007 and moved some employees to a second location, according to Jens Søby, president of Vestas Americas. “We chose to keep our headquarters in downtown Portland because we fit well here and we have great support by the government here. It’s a wind city. It’s a great place to be,” Søby says.