Evwind, Wind Energy

Tax breaks help wind turbine Vestas hire more workers

Vestas Wind Systems is hiring more people to take advantage of a federal tax credit before the end of the year, a move that comes after a slow year for wind energy, including a series of company layoffs in 2012.

Vestas announced Thursday the company will hire hundreds of workers at its factories in Windsor and Brighton to meet a spike in demand for wind turbines.

Wind energy slumped last year and at the beginning of this year, in part because Congress was late extending a wind-energy production tax credit established in 1992. The tax break passed Dec. 31, but wind producers and companies such as Vestas experienced a lag before they could start projects again.

The tax credit extension will include projects that start construction by the end of this year. Wind developers also can qualify if they pay for 5 percent of the project ahead of time, as long as it