Tapping Wind Energy's Real Potential
Wind parks, which can be built quickly and in efficient increments, deliver energy just as dependably as any other power plant.
Wind energy is having a positive impact on our nation's overall energy mix, and there is significantly more potential to tap.
Wind power will help us to meet our nation's future energy needs and wind projects can be easily integrated into the regional electric system.
The United States has over 10,000 megawatts of installed wind supply, enough to power 2.5 million households. Given its many benefits and the rising costs of fossil fuel energy, wind is now recognized as a critical component of our nation's energy portfolio. More than four billion dollars annually is being spent on wind power in the United States, which is a good step towards establishing our country's leadership in the development of renewable wind energy sources. The more wind energy, the better for our environment, our economy, and for our future generations. Other nations also recognize the benefits of wind energy, which is the fastest growing source of energy in the world today.
Stable prices, endless supply
Offshore wind offers distinct advantages in meeting our energy needs:
- Stable Pricing. Electricity from wind is not subject to the price volatility of natural gas and other fossil fuels. Wind is not subject to the unknown cost of reducing global warming pollution, a large future cost that will be paid by energy users of power derived from fossil fuel sources such as coal.
- Dependable Performance. Wind parks deliver energy to our grid in a reliable, predictable manner. Forecasts of energy output from a wind park are highly accurate - usually as accurate as forecasts of the amount of energy being used by all those connected to the grid. Thanks to major engineering improvements over the past 20 years, today's wind turbines require less than 48 hours of maintenance per year. This maintenance is done on two to three turbines at a time, thereby keeping the wind park operating all year long and at high efficiency even during maintenance. In comparison, when a fossil fuel plant needs maintenance, usually the entire plant must be shut down. All of this means that wind parks are economically and effectively integrated into power grids around our country and around the world. The lights stay on when there's no wind, just as the lights stay on when a coal-powered plant is down for maintenance or for equipment failures.
- Scaleable Growth. As efficiency and conservation measures reduce or stabilize our energy consumption, and as obsolete fossil fuel plants are retired, wind technology can provide an ever-greater percentage of our energy needs without the risk of large "all-or-nothing" investments. Unlike nuclear power plants, for example, where energy must be bought in very large increments, it is relatively easy to scale up wind energy capacity. That makes long-term planning much easier.
- Wind Energy Is Truly Economical. A wind park's "energy payback period" - the amount of time a power plant must operate to generate the same amount of energy required for its manufacture, transport and construction - is between three and eight months. That's one of the shortest energy payback periods of any generation technology. In contrast, fossil fuel plants deplete a natural resource that will never be available to us again.
- The Enormous Potential Of Wind Power. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that our country has enormous wind energy potential. The technology works today and upgrades are constantly being incorporated into current designs. Offshore wind parks already utilize well-established technology, as evidenced by the 17 operating offshore wind parks in Europe and the 25 more that are planned there. The U.S. is now starting to catch up and wind energy will provide more and more of our energy needs in the years ahead. As new installations are built and come on-line, wind power will continue to have significant and beneficial impacts on our nation's energy mix.
