Siemens hosted the President of the U.S., Barack Obama, April 27 for a tour and visit to its recently expanded 600,000 sq. ft. wind turbine blade facility at Fort Madison, Iowa.

Obama toured the facility and then addressed an audience of 300 employees, visitors and local representatives highlighting the Fort Madison plant as a successful example of how clean technology can help revive a local economy.

According to Peter Loescher, president and CEO of Siemens AG, the visit by the President was a very meaningful milestone for Siemens.

“This is an extraordinarily proud moment for us at Siemens.  We have been investing and growing our business in America for over 100 years, investing $25 billion in the last 10 years alone. I would like to thank the President for allowing our employees to show him, personally, how plants like this can help America as she races forward in a clean technology revolution that has allowed us to create more than 1,000 jobs recently.

“We think our Fort Madison plant is a fantastic example of how, with the right policy and market support, we are able to invest in and revitalize America’s manufacturing base,” he commented.

The Fort Madison plant is now just three years old. It was built on the site of a closed tractor-trailer manufacturing business, which, at its peak, had 250 employees.

The Siemens factory put out its first blade in 2007, expanded in 2008, and currently employs 600 people. The factory was a recent recipient of a $3.5 million tax credit from America’s Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2010, plus additional stimulus funds administered at the state level.

Siemens used this tax credit to secure additional blade molds and increase production of its next generation blade, which is designed to improve wind harvesting in low-wind conditions.

The market success of this innovative technology will enable growth for the renewables market in the U.S. and has contributed to the Fort Madison plant’s ability to expand and nearly double employment.

“I would also like to congratulate our employees in the Fort Madison facility. In just three years, they have quickly become a major U.S. supplier of high-quality wind turbine blades in what we anticipate will be a promising industry supporting thousands of new jobs in a growing U.S.-based supply chain,” said Eric Spiegel, president and CEO of Siemens Corporation in the U.S.

Currently, the plant is operating at a capacity which could power more than 400,000 homes in one year with clean, renewable wind energy.  Siemens is currently the third largest wind manufacturer in the U.S. and the leading off-shore wind turbine producer in the world.

But Siemens’ Energy portfolio is much more than just wind power. Its energy systems provide more than 1/3 of the nation’s energy with technologies across the entire energy conversion chain.

In addition to its investment in Fort Madison, Siemens started construction last fall on a new facility with 400 jobs in Hutchinson, Kansas, where it will build the structures that house the generating components for our wind turbines, and just last month announced a new gas turbine manufacturing facility that will be built at its site in Charlotte, North Carolina, where there will be another 825 new jobs created.

Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, and operates in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors.  For more than 160 years, Siemens has built a reputation for leading-edge innovation and the quality of its products, services and solutions.  With 405,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of $104.3 billion in fiscal 2009.  With its U.S. corporate headquarters in Washington, D.C., Siemens in the USA reported revenue of $21.3 billion and employs approximately 64,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.  For more information on Siemens in the United States, visit www.usa.siemens.com

In its global green portfolio Siemens generated some $34 billion of revenue in 2009, making the company the world’s leader in environmental technologies. For example in power generation the company is developing other clean energy technologies in the areas, solar thermal power, clean coal and advanced gas turbines with efficiency rates of as much as 60 percent as well as efficiency improvements for getting more power out of existing plants.  Visit for more information on Siemens’ environmental portfolio.

President Obama was careful not to undermine the Home Star program by referring to its adopted media name, ‘Cash for Caulkers.’ That’s because this consumer rebate program, in comparison with its automotive counterpart, isn’t simply meant to stimulate the economy while promoting energy efficiency; this one’s about creating jobs, too.

From manufacturers on down to builders, the Home Star program will infuse jobs into a lackluster building industry that has seen better days. The eye-catching figure: 25 percent unemployment among construction jobs. But here’s the good news:

In Georgia alone, where the press conference was held, Obama cited 300 transportation projects currently in the works. And to create the workforce that can do it, he’s looking to put millions more in technical colleges like the one he toured today in Savannah.

Despite its comprehensive goals, the Home Star program’s roots are embedded in one key word: home. This is not only where the heart is, but the heat, too. So for homeowners looking to buy new furnaces or better-insulated windows, there’s a rebate for that. Need a better HVAC system? There’s a rebate for that, too. In fact, a large number of energy-saving home improvements are among the list for eligible rebates.

Taking a cue from grade school incentive programs, Home Star offers two levels of rebates: Gold Star and Silver Star. The following is a description of Silver Star rebates from the White House:

Consumers looking to have simple upgrades performed in their homes would be eligible for 50% rebates up to $1,000 – $1,500 for doing any of a straightforward set of upgrades, including: insulation, duct sealing, water heaters, HVAC units, windows, roofing and doors.

The maximum amount of rebates per home is $3,000.

The Gold Star rebates are performance-based. This is comprised of “a whole home energy audit and subsequent retrofit tailored to achieve a 20 percent energy savings in [consumers’] homes.”

According to Obama, the end goal of all these rebates is to “foster a secure economic future for middle class families.” He admitted that in order to do so, some upfront costs are unavoidable, as with all major system overhauls (he mentioned education and healthcare, specifically).

How will these rebates reach the hands of consumers? Directly, in many cases, say White House officials. At the point of sale or “the point of engagement with a contractor” the consumer will have access to the rebates.

In total, the program is estimated to cost $6 billion. But the government expects a quick trickle effect to spur job creation.  A home audit encourages contractors; when contractors buy materials they need retailers; and retailers get their supply from manufacturers.

To those afraid of investing in an expensive, energy-efficient heating system, Obama says fear not. With the Home Star program, consumers “will get their money back.”

Learn more about energy efficiency retrofits at EE Global’s Executive Dialogue Session 3A: Buildings, Breaking New Ground: Economic Recovery Through Efficiency Retrofits.