I don't really have anything against wind. If people want to use it, then great. But to run a modern economy, we require cheap, clean energy. And wind will never be able to provide that kind of power, and neither will solar.
Wind energy is cheap and it is clean at least relative to many of todays competing energy sources. It will never power a nation by itself but no one makes that claim.
You underestimate solar energy. Solar can power a nation with cheap clean energy...give it about twenty years. The energy is there and costs continue to fall.
Zeuspaul
nrel.gov
Since 1981, U.S. Windpower,Inc. has continually improved the performance of its wind turbines, reducing the cost of
electricity by almost half. The company's newest turbine is expected to produce electricity at a cost of 5 cents/kWh or less....
The current capital cost for the Model 56-100 turbine is about $1,200/kW, and power generation costs are about 7-9 cents/kWh in regions with favorable winds. In contrast, the first USW turbines, erected in 1981, generated power at a cost of more than 12 cents/kWh. Most of this cost reduction has been attributed to performance improvements, such as higher turbine availabilities and capacity factors, rather than lower turbine costs. Wind turbine availabilities are now in the 95%-99% range, with capacity factors of 20%-25% in California. Capacity factors are expected to reach as high as 40% in parts of the Midwest and Northeast, which have more moderate but also more constant winds. |
