Is Wind Power Affordable?
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Traveling north on old logging roads below Blewett Pass, as you start to emerge from the forest above Ellensburg, with the sun setting in the west, look to the east. You’ll see a far away ridge covered with shining, white towers. Camelot? Minas Tirith? No, it’s Kittitas County's Wild Horse Wind Facility, now owned by Puget Sound Energy . Wild Horse’s 149 wind turbines have blades whose diameters are larger than a commercial jet’s wingspan, and they send clean renewable energy to more than 69,000 homes. Energy not dependent on dams, gas or coal mining, nuclear reactors or offshore oil rigs.
So are wind farms "the" answer for renewable and economically feasible electricity?
Maybe an answer, but not "the" answer. According to the DOE, in 2009 all of the US renewable power sources (wind, solar, etc.) generated only 3-4% of all electrical power, while coal generated 48%. Many advocate that future development should continue to provide incentives to generate more renewable power that is both affordable and responsible (does not cause costly long term damage to our lands and waterways, like Chernoble or the recent Gulf of Mexico disaster, etc.).
Like the Federal government and other states, Washington State and its voters have provided great incentives for the responsible development of wind power, like in 2006 with I-937. Although I-937 was under siege even before the recession, thanks to some far sighted citizens it has been protected and remains largely intact. Accordingly, by 2020 most WA utilities companies will have to produce 15% of all the electricity they generate from renewable sources. Our state also provides other incentives such as sales tax exemptions and grants, loans and rebates, for the production of wind power.
How does Washington wind power generation compare to other states? Actually we should be proud, because even though Washington’s geography is not ideal for wind power, and there are far bigger states like Texas and California that also have vastly greater wind potential, we still rank number 5!
So what do the economics of green energy look like since I-937 in 2006? As construction costs rose in 2006-2008 it dramatically increased the cost of wind power. Wind power requires negligible fuel costs but very high capital costs. As construction labor and material cost (like steel) spiked, the cost rose so high some work slowed or was shelved. However, as construction costs fell in the recession, wind projects became much more viable. In May of this year, PSE ordered another 149 wind turbines for its Lower Snake River Wind Project, with an option for 110 more.
According to GE Energy’s recent Western Wind and Solar Integration Study (“WSIS”) the cost to consumers for wind generated electricity is becoming more affordable as an increasing number of wind power plants come on line. Improvements in technology are lowering costs too. Note that the WSIS cost analysis does not factor in the external costs that clean wind power reduces or prevents in the form of environmental contamination related clean up, associated health care claims, destruction of habitat and wildlife, the cost of military action to protect energy supplies, not to mention the potentially huge costs of global warming due to emissions from structures powered by fossil fuels.
While wind power is not yet less expensive than other energy sources, when you factor in the savings due to the external costs that wind power largely prevents, it seems that greater production of wind farms is a must for responsible development.
