How Wind Power Competes
Wind energy has incredible potential and is cost-competitive with other, more traditional energy sources.
May 2, 2008
By Peyton Baldwin
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In the United States, three states — Kansas, North Dakota and Texas — have enough wind capacity to power the entire country. Building wind farms like this one will help us reach that potential.
ISTOCKPHOTO/BRIAN JACKSON
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Wind power is the fastest growing form of electricity in the world. According to WorldWatch Institute, in 2007 the world capacity of wind power rose 27 percent to 94,100 megawatts. In the United States alone, 5,244 megawatts of wind power were added, enough to power 4.5 million homes. This growth is above recent projections and puts wind power on track to be a prime competitor in the power industry.
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But that’s just the beginning. Wind power has enormous potential that is just starting to be tapped. In fact, three states — Kansas, North Dakota and Texas — have the wind capacity to power the entire country. Click here to watch the growth in U.S. wind power over the last 10 years and here to find wind projects near you.
Why We Need Wind
One attraction of wind power is that it can replace electricity from coal plants, which currently provide 54 percent of the United States’ electricity. The Union of Concerned Scientists says coal plants are the single biggest air polluter in the United States. Coal plants pollute the atmosphere at almost every level of production: Mining, transportation and storage all cause different forms of pollution. Per year, there are approximately 23,000 deaths in the United States from coal power plant pollution. In contrast, wind power creates no water or air pollution, and has no emissions or waste from its distribution.
The rising and unstable price of conventional electricity over the years is another reason for the growth of wind power. In Austin, Texas, wind energy is bought at a fixed price, therefore giving customers a stable price for electricity. According to the Earth Policy Institute, in 2005 wind-generated electricity cost less than conventional electricity. This switch was due to rising natural gas prices and declining wind energy prices. In the ’80s, wind power was about 25 cents/kWh, but by 2005 that dropped to 4 to 6 cents/kWh. Although wind power prices have trended up in the last few years, they still remain cost-competitive with other forms of energy.
