Electricity and the geographical deconcentration of manufacturing

Technical Report · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6463301

Barkenbus, J N

Geographical deconcentration of manufacturing is occurring in this country in parallel with the dispersion of the general population. Access to relatively inexpensive energy, regardless of the location, has made deconcentration possible. Though the mobility of energy, and particularly electricity, is largely taken for granted today, its significance in permitting regionalization and decentralization should not be overlooked. The construction of a truly national energy system has taken place as manufacturers have gradually been moving away from the classical American manufacturing belt. Data are marshaled to document the movement of manufacturers away from the urban core of metropolitan areas and, a more recent trend, the movement from the larger metropolitan area itself and into the countryside. Based upon limited data, there appears to be a positive association between greater nonmetropolitan manufacturing employment and increasing electricity use. The deconcentration momentum has not stalled in the face of the energy shocks witnessed during the 1970s. Electrification and manufacturing deconcentration are likely to advance together in the future.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Inc., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76OR00033
• OSTI ID: 6463301
• Report Number(s): ORAU/IEA-84-9(M); ON: DE84017162
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320301* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Energy Sources
ELECTRIC POWER
GEOGRAPHY
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
MANUFACTURING
POWER
RURAL AREAS
SITE SELECTION