With energy costs continually on the rise, more and more options to traditional energy are being considered more than ever before. However, as with other things, there are advantages and disadvantages to wind energy. In this article, we'll take a look at the pros and cons of wind energy which should give you the ability to make an intelligent decision about it as well.
The Advantages of Wind Energy
1. It is abundant. This is especially true in the US where a major effort is underway to expand the country's wind production infrastructure.
2. Inexpensive. In energy production terms, it all boils down to kilowatt-per-hour costs. Wind typically costs around $.06 whereas more traditional energy sources like natural gas can be as high as $.075. When considering advantages and disadvantages to wind energy, cost is a key factor.
3. It is a clean power source that does not have to be converted from something else to extract the energy we need. For example, coal must be mined, pulverized and the combusted to produce energy. Each of these steps adds environmental costs to the final product, energy.
4. Virtually limitless. Wind occurs naturally as the Earth rotates and as such isn't likely to stop anytime soon.
The Disadvantages of Wind Energy
1. It is intermittent. Except in some extreme regions, for the most part wind energy is largely intermittent. The problem with this of course is that energy needs are constant and so a backup energy source is required to compensate for this gap. Off all of the advantages and disadvantages to wind energy, the intermittent nature of it may be its biggest drawback.
2. Has higher transfer costs. Unfortunately most ideal wind production regions are often in remote areas. Because of this, the costs to transport the energy over long distances cannot be overlooked.
3. It has a high start up cost. Wind turbines are not cheap to install and operate. When combined with the issues of long distance power transfer, a wind site must be very productive to compete with more traditional forms of power generation.
4. Has a high opportunity cost. Rural areas often have other uses for farm or ranch land that a wind farm may compete for and so the loss of these income producing activities must be weighed when considering wind farm construction.
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