The information on this page was prepared by:
| Mohd Suffian Muhili | mohdmuhi@usc.edu | Electrical Engineering |
Wind Energy: Benefits
Aside from the low cost, wind energy also provides economic benefits which make it even more competitive in the long term. This is because it has greater fuel diversity and less dependence on fossil fuels, which are often subject to rapid price fluctuations and supply problems. This is a significant issue around the world today, with many countries rushing to install gas-fired electric generating capacity because of its low capital cost. As world gas demand increases, the prospect of supply interruptions and fluctuations will grow, making further reliance on it unwise and increasing the value of diversity.
PROJECTED COST /KWH
| OWNERSHIP | FINANCING METHOD | COST (KW/h) WITH PTC /REPI | COST (KW/h) WITHOUT PTC /REPI |
| Private | Project | $ 0.495 | $ 0.656 |
| Investor-Owned Utility | Corporate | $ 0.353 | $ 0.590 |
| Public Utility | Internal | $ 0.288 | $ 0.435 |
| Public Utility | Project | $ 0.343 | $ 0.489 |
* ( PTC ) Production Tax Credit
(REPI) Renewable Energy Production Incentive
Apart from that, wind-generated electricity has a lot of benefits to the environment. One of them is that it avoids most of the traditional environmental impacts associated with electricity generation. Wind energy does not have the greenhouse effect, which result from the combustion of fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, the traditional sources of electrical power. Similarly, wind energy also does not possess the risks of radioactive exposure associated with nuclear power plants.
Although the use of wind energy would help to reduce the problems of global warming and acid rain, no source of energy is free from any environmental impacts. The main environmental concerns surrounding the use of wind energy are impacts on land use, noise, effects on wildlife and disruption of radio transmissions. Since the available wind resource is so spread out, vast areas of land are required to provide significant amounts of electricity. In addition, wind turbines can be placed on areas used for animals grazing or land that possess marginal value. The noise of wind turbines has also been subject of the negative impact of wind turbines towards the environment besides disrupting radio signals. Therefore, they are generally located far away from human activity and airports for safety reasons.