Because of concern about greenhouse gases, the wind energy industry has been growing rapidly. According to an America Wind Energy Association report, in 2008 alone, 8,500 megawatts of wind power capacity were brought online in the United States, making the country the world's largest wind-generating nation. By 2030, 20 percent of the electricity in the United States will be generated by wind. The advantages of wind as an energy technology are many.
Wind is Clean
Wind-powered generators produce no harmful emissions. Unlike power plants that burn fossil fuels, wind energy doesn't contribute to acid rain or greenhouse gases. It doesn't create smog and atmospheric pollution. In a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, the pollution from two Massachusetts coal-powered generators can be linked to 3,000 asthma attacks, 300,000 incidents of upper respiratory symptoms, and 159 premature deaths each year. Wind power generates no such pollution. It also doesn't generate radioactive waste, contaminated water, or other unhealthy byproducts.
Wind is Renewable
Wind power is renewable. Wind is a virtually inexhaustible resource. Unlike fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas, wind is not a limited resource. Unlike power plants that burn fuels that must be trucked in, wind power does not use fossil fuels to transport more fossil fuel. In fact, the only nonrenewable resources used in wind production are the materials used to build the turbine and the fuel used to transport the turbine and subsequent maintenance to the site.
Wind is Inexpensive to Maintain
The initial investment when putting up a wind power farm is higher than a comparable fossil fuel generator. Over the life of the two power generators, however, wind is much more competitive. Wind requires no fuels to be purchased, no pollution control mechanisms to be maintained. In fact, wind has very low maintenance costs in general. With the U.S. Production Tax Credit, which encourages nonpolluting power production, a state-of-the-art wind power plant can produce electricity for less than 5 cents/kWh. By contrast, a new state-of-the-art nuclear power plant would be able to produce electricity for 4.50 cents/kWh. Coal plants produce electricity at a rate of 4.8 to 5.5 cents/kWh and gas for 3.9 to 4.4 cents/kWh.
Wind Benefits Rural Economies
Farms and ranches can benefit greatly from wind turbines on their properties. Turbine bases require very little space beyond access roads for maintenance. Farmers can graze and grow crops right up to the base of wind turbines. The farmer's income for these turbines can be as much as $4,000 per turbine per year. Wind increases the local tax base in rural areas. It also creates local installation and maintenance jobs.
Wind Creates Jobs
The American Wind Energy Association estimates that in the early 1990s, wind energy created 1,200 direct jobs and 4,000 indirect jobs in the state of California alone. A 50 megawatt wind farm creates roughly 240 job-years of employment. If the United States were to boost wind power production by a factor of eight, it would add 150,000 new manufacturing jobs to the economy.
Wind is Easy to Install
Wind turbines are modular. A few can be installed today and a few more next year when funds permit. They are assembled in a factory, and dismantled for shipping. At the site, installation is quicker and easier than it would be for most other power generation facilities. Very little site preparation is necessary because of a turbine's small footprint. Turbines do not require large buildings to house them as do most electrical plants.
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