Technology And Innovation Has Improved Alternative Wind Energy Products

September 25th, 2009 by Steve Evans

The cost wind energy differential is relatively minor these days, since technology and innovation have driven down prices by 90% in the past two decades. A modern residential wind turbine can lower electric bills by 50 to 90% in most parts of the country.

Some homes in the scorching hot south that run 100% off sources wind energy provides have monthly bills of $8 to $15 for nine months of the year, not including the summer months. Homes in the north with year-round modest temperatures will see year-round low energy bills.

project wind power
Researchers posit that, over the next ten years, the cost of fossil fuels will soon increase due to limited supplies and the cost of alternative wind energy will decrease to as low as 3.5 cents, due to better technology and more available wind farms.

Wind speed is one factor for cost wind energy figures. For instance, one 51 mega-watt wind farm has wind speeds of 7.15 miles per hour blowing through the generators wind power blades at a cost of 6 cents per kilowatt hour.

At a comparable farm with wind speeds of 9.32 miles per hour, the cost is only 26 cents per kilowatt hour. Also, the size of the local wind farm affects the price. For instance, the average 3 mega-watt farm delivers electricity at 59 cents per kilowatt hour, whereas a 51 mega-watt farm delivers it at just 36 cents per kilowatt hour, at a 40% decrease.

generators wind power
A secondary factor for cost wind energy estimates is the advances in technology. Since the eighties, generators wind power manufacturers have realized that the taller a turbine tower is, the better the output, as wind speeds increase with distance from the ground.

Also, just by increasing the rotor diameter from 10 meters to 50 meters, there was a 55% increase in productivity. A modern day 1.65 mega-watt turbine can generate 120 times the output of the older 25 kilo-watt turbines from the eighties, for example.

Cost wind energy products can range from a couple hundred dollars to up to $22,000, depending on your contractor or set-up. These investments are built to last at least 20 years, manufacturers say.

resources renewable energy
However, the cheapest wind energy alternative comes from local utility programs that have already hooked industrial alternative wind energy turbines into the electric grid. In a study by Wiser and Kahn, it was discovered that private ownership could buy electricity at 6.56 cents per kilo-watt hour, whereas public utility ownership using internal financing could reach as low as 2.88 cents per kilo-watt hour.

While residential wind turbines have been installed in 47/50 states, the highest concentrations are located in the northeast and midwest.