GETTING THE FACTS RIGHT:
Ten things you ought to know about wind energy
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Wind
energy is not highly subsidised, it simply operates into
a subsidised energy market.
In the past, no electricity generating technology has been
developed, introduced and become competitive without initial
support. Well-established industries such as oil, natural gas and
nuclear power have all benefited from significant state
backing during their development phase. In 2004, the
European Environment Agency assessed direct and indirect energy
subsidies in the European Union. The report estimated that total
subsidies in 2001 were €29.2 billion, of which €23.9 billion was
for fossil fuels and nuclear and €5.3 billion for renewables.
Worldwide, according to the United Nations, conventional energy
sources receive an estimated $250-300 billion in subsidies per
year. In the United States, for example, the federal government has
paid out $35 billion over 30 years to cover the medical expenses of
miners suffering from "black lung disease".
Such distortions mean that the true cost of "conventional"
energy sources is not reflected in their market price.
Wind energy can compete with other power generation
options.
At good windy sites, wind is increasingly competitive with other
new-build generation technologies, especially given the dramatic
rise in oil and gas prices. Obviously, wind cannot
compete with the cost of producing electricity from an existing
power plant that has already been depreciated and paid for by
taxpayers or electricity consumers. The current cost of producing
electricity from wind energy ranges from approximately 6-8 €
cents/kWh at sites with low to medium average wind speeds down to
4-5 € cents/kWh at good coastal sites.
Historically, the costs per produced kWh for new turbines have
fallen by between 9 % and 17 % for each doubling of installed
capacity. Looking ahead, if wind power's total installed capacity
doubles over the next five years, then by 2010 the cost of
production from a medium-sized turbine (up to 1,5 MW) at a coastal
site could be as low as 3.1 to 4.4 € cents/kWh.
For comparison, the European Commission puts the cost of new
combined cycle gas generation at 3.5-4.5 € cents/ kWh and combined
cycle coal at 4-5 € cents/kWh. A 2004 MIT (Massachusetts Institute
of Technology) study estimated the cost of nuclear generation at
5.1 € cents/kWh.
Finally, If the "external" costs of damage to health and other
environmental effects of different fuels are added in, the European
Commission has concluded that the cost of coal-fired generation
would double and the cost of gas-fired generation increase by 30
%.
Wind energy
is not on a "level the playing field" with other
fuels.
The present situation is that environmentally harmful practices
are accepted, and indeed often subsidised, and there are few taxes
that fully reflect the "external costs" of electricity production
(effects on environment, health, etc...). Without mechanisms to
internalize these external costs, a second best solution to a level
playing field in the electricity markets is to enable adequate
incentives to increase the proportion of renewable energy.
According to the European Commission, the cost of producing
electricity from coal would double, and that from gas increase by
30%, if external costs in the form of damage to the environment and
health were taken into account. The study further estimated that
these external costs amounted to 1-2% of EU GDP, or between €85
billion and €170 billion, not including the cost of global warming
and climate change.
Wind energy does not need constant back-up.
Because of the way the electricity network is planned,
there is no need to back up every megawatt of wind energy with a
megawatt of fossil fuel or other power. All networks have enough
spare capacity available to deal with disconnections, breakdowns
and sudden surges in demand. No power plant is 100 % reliable. The
network is designed to absorb many impacts, from electricity
generation sources going out of service unexpectedly to industrial
customers starting up energy intensive equipment.
The grid operator constantly matches the electricity generation
available to electricity demand, and wind energy's variability is
just one more variable in the mix. In Denmark, approximately
20 % of electricity demand is already supplied by the wind, and is
managed successfully by the Transmission System Operator.
Wind farms are not noisy.
At a distance of 300 meters, a modern wind turbine is no noisier
than a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room. Improved
design has drastically reduced the noise of mechanical components
so that the most audible sound is that of the wind interacting with
the rotor blades. This is similar to a light swishing sound, and
much quieter than other types of modern-day equipment. Even in
generally quiet rural areas, the sound of the blowing wind is often
louder than the turbines. To avoid potential disturbance to
neighbours, strict rules are applied by local authorities to ensure
that wind turbines are far enough from nearby houses.
Wind energy benefits the environment.
Wind power has a light footprint. Its operation does not
produce harmful emissions or any hazardous waste. It does not
deplete natural resources, nor does it cause environmental damage
through resource extraction, transport and waste management.
In a wind farm the turbines themselves take up less than 1% of
the land area. Once up and running, existing activities such as
agriculture and hiking can continue around them. Farm animals such
as cows and sheep are not disturbed. Any impacts on the local
environment must be set against the much more serious effects of
producing conventional electricity.
Wind energy has limited impacts on habitats and
wildlife.
Wind farm developers are required to undertake an
Environmental Impact Assessment for each project. They also
work closely with conservation and wildlife groups to ensure that
new developments are sympathetic to existing habitats. Extensive
efforts are made to avoid putting up wind farms in areas which
might attract large numbers of birds or bats, such as migration
routes.
In the UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds says
that "we have not so far witnessed any major adverse effects on
birds associated with wind farms." In Spain, a study in the
province of Navarra - where 692 turbines were then operating in 18
wind farms - found that the annual mortality rate of medium and
large birds was 0.13 per turbine.
In addition, impacts from wind power are extremely low compared
with other human-related activities. US statistics show 1 billion
birds are killed by colliding with buildings each year and up to 80
million by vehicles.
By comparison, it's estimated that commercial wind turbines in
the US cause the direct deaths of only 0.01 - 0.02% of all of the
birds killed annually by collisions with man-made structures and
activities.
Wind energy reduces pollution.
Unlike other forms of power generation, wind energy is
clean and renewable. It's "clean" because its operation doesn't
produce any carbon dioxide, the largest contributor to global
warming. There are also no other harmful gases or waste products.
By contrast, power stations burning fossil fuels, mainly coal and
gas, are responsible for a quarter of the increase in greenhouse
gases in the earth's atmosphere. It's "renewable" because its fuel
source is the wind - freely available and constantly renewed.
Wind energy generates reliable electricity.
Wind turbines generate electricity most (70-85 %) of the
time. Their output varies according to the strength of the
wind. They start generating power when the wind is blowing at about
4-5 meters per second and then stop again if it reaches gale force
strength - about 25 meters/second. Over the course of a year, a
wind turbine on land will generate around 30 % of its theoretical
maximum output, depending on the specific site. Offshore, the
percentage is higher. By comparison, the load factor of
conventional power stations averages 50 %. Because of stoppages for
maintenance or breakdowns, no power plant generates for 100 % of
the time. Wind turbines can carry on generating electricity for
20-25 years. On an average site, a 2 MW wind turbine will produce
electricity equivalent to the consumption of 1,375 average EU
households.
Wind energy is already making an important contribution to
electricity supply.
Over the past decade the global market for wind power has
been expanding faster than any other renewable energy source. Since
the year 2000 the average annual increase in cumulative installed
capacity has been 28 %.
By the end of 2006, the worldwide capacity of wind power
generation had reached 74,000 MW. In Europe, it had reached 48,000
MW. This is enough to meet 3 % of European electricity demand.
Denmark gets 20 % of its electricity from wind power, Spain 8 % and
Germany 7 %.
This content comes from the magazine Wind Directions,
published by the European Wind energy Association. As the sector
has grown, wind power has attracted a number of myths -
commonly-held beliefs that have no foundation in reality. Each
month during 2007 Wind Directions has presented the facts
behind these misconceptions.