Today, wind energy is an advanced and sophisticated technology, which belongs to the most economical renewable energy sources. The costs of energy production have been reduced by more than 50 % during the last decade and will continue decreasing in the future. On the other hand, prices for fossil energy sources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas have already increase noticeably due to high demand and limited availability. The necessary modernization of power plants and the replacement of outdated plants will lead to a further increase in electricity generation costs.
These are several advantages of wind power plant:
1. Wind energy is economically competitive. With today’s rising coal and gas prices, new wind plants compete favorably against any new electricity generation source.
2. Small plot of land: Although wind turbines can be very tall each takes up only a small plot of land. Wind turbines take up less space than the average power station. Windmills only have to occupy a few square meters for the base, this allows the land around the turbine to be used for many purposes, for example agriculture. Wind energy is a valuable crop of the future for farmers and ranchers. Wind farms located in rural areas generate energy that can be transmitted to load centers in urban areas via the regional utility grid. The rural areas retain the jobs, as well as land lease revenue for farmers and ranchers. Wind turbines are compatible with rural land uses—crops can be grown and livestock can be grazed up to the base of the turbine.
3. Unlike most other electricity generation sources, wind turbines don’t consume water. Conventional plants generating power from fossil and nuclear fuels use large amounts of water for cooling; wind turbines do not use water.
4. Wind energy is inexhaustible and infinitely renewable. Unlike conventional fossil fuels, wind energy is renewable, abundant energy that will be available for future generations.
5. Clean Energy: The use of wind turbines does not generate pollution or radioactive waste like most other forms of electricity generation do. Their construction and installation has less environmental impact as well. Wind energy is friendly to the surrounding environment, as no fossil fuels are burnt to generate electricity from wind energy. Wind energy has many environmental benefits. Wind energy is clean energy that produces no emissions, which means it doesn’t contribute to acid rain and snow, global climate change, smog, regional haze, mercury contamination, water withdrawal, and particulate-related health effects.
6. Because wind energy’s “fuel” is free, it reduces the risk associated with volatile fossil fuel prices. Wind displaces electricity that would otherwise be produced by burning natural gas, thus helping to reduce gas demand and limit gas price hikes.
7. Wind energy is the fuel of today and tomorrow. Today, wind provides competitive electricity. Tomorrow, it is likely to be the cheapest source of electricity for the distributed generation of hydrogen.
8. Wind energy can be used in a variety of applications. Small wind turbines, alone or as part of a hybrid system, can power homes, businesses, and farms/ranches. Wind energy is perfect for remote applications, such as water pumping, ice making, powering telecommunications sites, and displacing diesel fuel in villages. Community wind projects include projects for schools, tribes, municipal utilities, and rural electric cooperatives.
9. Newer technologies are making the extraction of wind energy much more efficient. The wind is free, and we are able to cash in on this free source of energy.
10. Wind turbines are a great resource to generate energy in remote locations, such as mountain communities and remote countryside. Wind turbines can be a range of different sizes in order to support varying population levels.
11. Another advantage of wind power plant is that when combined with solar electricity, this energy source is great for developed and developing countries to provide a steady, reliable supply of electricity.