Wind Energy Costs Dropping Below Conventional Sources

The cost of wind-generated electricity for consumers is now less that of electricity from conventional sources in some markets. An article from the Earth Policy Institute gives an interesting insight about the inroads that wind energy is making into our energy infrastructure.

When Austin Energy, the publicly owned utility in Austin, Texas, launched its GreenChoice program in 2000, customers opting for green electricity paid a premium. During the fall of 2005, climbing natural gas prices pulled conventional electricity costs above those of wind-generated electricity, the source of most green power. This crossing of the cost lines in Austin and several other communities is a milestone in the U.S. shift to a renewable energy economy.

Overall, U.S. wind-generating capacity expanded by 36 percent in 2005, reaching 9,149 megawatts. This year it could expand by 50 percent. At the end of 2005, there were commercial wind farms in 30 states. (Data at can be found here.)

Wind power generation would grow even faster if it were not constrained by the availability of turbines. General Electric, now supplying 60 percent of the U.S. wind turbine market, is sold out through 2007. Clipper Windpower, a startup turbine manufacturer, is planning to produce 20 of its 2.5-megawatt Liberty turbines per month by mid 2006 and a total of 250 turbines in 2007. Its production is also committed well into the future.

With a large, advanced-design wind turbine generating easily $100,000 worth of electricity per year, even a 3-percent royalty would earn ranchers $3,000 a year from leasing a quarter-acre of ranchland. And they can still run cattle on the land. If a proposed project in NY state is approved as expected, these 30 or so ranchers will have an average of seven turbines each, yielding roughly $21,000 a year in additional income. A decade from now, there may be thousands of ranchers who will be earning more selling electricity than they do selling cattle.

Read the complete article at Wind Energy Demand Booming: Cost Dropping Below Conventional Sources Marks Key Milestone in U.S. Shift to Renewable Energy, Earth Policy Institute, March 22, 2006

Technorati tags: solar, solar power, energy, technology

The Energy Blog: Wind Energy Costs Dropping Below Conventional Sources

Comments

[Jeff Olney]

"millions of lives will be lost in building/maintaining/decommissioning wind turbines." From where did you obtain this fact/estimate?

Jeff Olney
GE Wind Energy

[Nucbuddy]

It's a guess based on the fact of overwhelming advantage that nuclear enjoys in terms of facility compactness, limited construction height, nature of maintenance, and facility longevity. This was an inspiration:

"(since winds are driven by forces generated by the sun's heat, wind power is often classified as solar energy) [...] there is much more construction work needed for solar installations than for nuclear; construction is one of the most dangerous industries from the standpoint of accidents to workers."

[asdar]

I've installed wind power and you're not right about the numbers at all Joe.

I know you have the hots for nuclear and truth to tell I'd like to increase it's use too, but you have to admit the risk involved is much greater than the risk of wind.

Texas and Colorado just passed California in wind power production.

http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/AWEA_Quarterly_Market_Report_072506.html

and there's many studies that show that wind power is now more efficient than coal power.

Modern wind towers are slower turning and don't kill the birds.

Modern wind towers have a quicker pay back period than coal or nuclear. Nuclear energ is very economical and I'm not against it, but so it wind power and we won't have to ensure that used turbine blades are sequestered for longer than civilization has existed.

Not one death or even health hazard has been reported from installing or use of wind Turbines in the past 5 years.

Those are myths, here's a link to a British government site that dispells common myths about wind.

http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/renewables-explained/intro/intro-faqs/Wind%20power%2010%20myths%20explained/page16060.html

There's plenty out there. There are problems with wind, mainly that it doesn't blow everywhere and some locations will be out of luck.

Don't spread lies about it, it doesn't help.

As far as being an eyesore that's pure crap. You don't think it's an eyesore, you just want to be right. People pay good money to travel to Holland just to see the windmills.

The towers are clean and beautiful and the hum is barely discernable standing right next to a tower.

Remember that we can have both nuclear and wind turbines.

[Nucbuddy]

Asdar wrote: Not one death or even health hazard has been reported from installing or use of wind Turbines in the past 5 years.

There are 12 windpower deaths from 2002 through 2006 reported by Paul Gipe here.

[s.lenin]

i need more information

[goldguru]

any opinions on vitasti as a wind investment?

http://www.goldstockbull.com/vitasti-wind-power-acai-and-chinas-renewable-energy-boom/

[David Sarokin]

Here's an interesting link to manufacturers of wind power *nacelles*:

http://xooxleanswers.com/nacelle.aspx

These are the companies involved in making the nacelle housings (the plastic box, basically) surrounding the turbine and other machinery.

Just an FYI...

[Wind Energy]

Hi,

Here is a new title on Wind Energy

Wind Energy
Fundamentals, Resource Analysis and Economics
Sathyajith Mathew
Published by Springer

A software-WERA-for wind energy resource analysis and wind turbine
performance simulation is also available with this book in an enclosed
CD

More details from
http://www.springer.com/west/home/engineering/power+engineering?SGWID...

[Pat Lapoint]

Are you serious, nucbuddy? Towers clean and beautiful; hum standing next to tower? As one who lives 1/2 mile (2,640 ft.)from 400 ft. plus towers, blade span in excess of 100 ft., and the largest wind farm in the Texas, United States and perhaps the world, I can tell you that these mechanical monsters are a visual blight on the surrounding ridgelines. And for that 'hum' which you so benignly refer, any fool knows that noise travels outward on currents, not necessarily downward right under a tower. This is one of the ploys used by the wind farm developers to create the misperception that wind turbines do not create substantial noise. Some accoustical studies show that noise levels can be as much as 45-50 db and in quiet rural areas, this level can be the equivalent of 65-70 db. I do not know about your refrigerator, but my refigerator noise doesn't even come close to this. And before you call me a NIMBY, let me remind you that the real facts about wind energy have been lost to the politics of wind power, especially in the State of Texas.

[Prashanth]

Hi All,

I am a student at the University of Texas, Arlington. I have 4 unlsovled issues in my project. I hope I can find answers to some of my questions here. Thank you All.

1.Coating amount - % of blade weight
2.Adhesive amount - % of blade weight

I am also interested to know: what process used by Gamesa and Vestas for making of blades other than prepreg lay-up.

Best Regards,
Prashanth

[Nathan]

Fusion has been 10 years away for 50 years. Why not just utilize the largest fusion reactor in our solar system?

Solar generation has been shown to take up less land than a Coal plant + mine required to fuel that plant. Windmills can be placed on farmland with no adverse effects to the use of the land. How anyone can label these technologies as useless is beyond me.

[amazingdrx]

Yep Nathan, nuclear fusion is the answer! 93 million miles away, safe, clean, and efficient, no waste problems, no fuel costs, in the Sun.

The latest concentrating PV solar on every suitable roof, is the way to capture it. And offshore floating wind/wave/ocean current power. And biogas from the waste stream. And turning every suitable farm, home, and building into distributed renewable power sources.

The great plains has enough wind capacity to power the whole country many times over. The revenue from renewable power would do a lot to save rural farm economy and family farms.

[Green electricity - Nick]

Many good points here! Thanks for the info!

[Cyril R.]

Wind is definately cheap in a good location, with real levelized costs in the $40-$50 per MWh range.

Advancements in materials (composites etc.), aerodynamics software (stalling etc.), blade design (e.g. Tubercles), scale-up of turbine size (5-7 MWe as standard in the near term, and likely even larger sizes in the medium term), and superconducting technologies could plausibly reduce this cost to less than $20 per MWh.

That leaves quite a bit of room to spend $ on storage and transmission.

[James]

I think that the US and other countries are now going to focus more time looking into wind energy as an alternative.

Keep up the awesome webpage.

James

[scotty]

Suggest you to provide link to

http://www.energyenvironmentforum.com

and encourage your readers to use the
Energy Environment Forum !

[energychina]

if the cost of wind-generated electricity for consumers is now less that of electricity from conventional sources in all countries, I think wind energy will boom soon.

[WindEnergyCommunity]

The cost of wind-generated electricity for consumers is now less that of electricity from conventional sources in some markets.

But it's so just in some markets. But I hope more areas are so later.

[Alternative Energy]

Since this article was written, wind farms have become much more common. As more and more wind farms are built, the cost of manufacturing and construction is coming down. Hopefully this trend will make wind energy even more cost effective.

[Homemade Wind Generator]

Interesting.. Did you also know that alot of the major wind generators, even the home built ones can produce their full power output at a wind speed of about 10mph?

[Michael Culhane]

Quite a lively debate! With all remote power sources there is the problem of lost power through transmission lines and distance. There is another possible piece of the solution puzzle in a new low profile wind generator for coastal cities. If your interested try http://sites.google.com/site/cskimmers

[don bartell]

Having your own Wind Turbines at home is a very good way to conserve on your electrical expenses.

Just imagine the amount of money you can save when you have your own power generator providing you with free electricity! A windmill is a very good alternative especially with the economic situation nowadays. It is affordable to your budget and best of all its’ free. You can purchase or build your own wind generator at any hardware store or online site.

[Lynet]

The cost of wind energy has actually gone down and with the recession almost coming good I do beleive in 2010 wind energy will be far much less than the previous years in terms of cost.

[Wind turbines]

Very good summary for selection wind turbine however another important issue should be considered. Battery cost is a huge cost for a off grid wind turbine system.

[Tina]

Yea, they can also make some noise too, but it's not that bad if you're not too up close to it. The way I think is that is a small price to pay if we can generate a clean and reliable source of energy. I don't think there is a way to make it safe for birds from flying into it.

I found this article interesting...
wind energy pros and cons