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Wind Turbines

Wind turbines are among the cheapest power sources around. It’s estimated that wind power costs a mere 5 cents per kilowatt hour on average. That’s right; wind power costs less than half of what most of you pay for your power in 2009. That price is significant, because wind is the only source of power that is immediately cost effective, meaning you will recoup your investment quickly, rather than over the span of several years.

It isn’t all sunshine and roses with wind turbines however. The biggest limiting factor in the production of wind power is location. Most land based locations are poorly suited for wind power. There are exceptions, but in general land produces too much drag on the lower atmosphere to make a good choice for wind farms. In the US, there are places in the central plains that make suitable locations for wind farms. These places stretch from the Dakotas, across to Michigan, all the way down to Texas.

The other major issues facing wind turbines are mechanical fatigue and noise level. Believe it or not, those majestic wind turbines you see in the distance are actually quite noisy close up. And the worst of it is they can’t be outfitted with noise reducing capabilities without sacrificing power output. This becomes an issue when considering placement. After all, you don’t want to outfit your home with green power just to get citations for breaking noise ordinances. Mechanical fatigue causes the constantly moving parts of a wind turbine to break down. While this is more easily fixable than the noise concerns, it is still something that should be taken into account when switching to wind power.

 

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