Wind energy can be less than desirable. To begin with, energy density of the air flowing past a wind turbine is undesirably low. Therefore, a massive contraption is needed just to catch one megawatt, plus anytime energy is converted, there's a loss.
Back in the 1600's, Dutch windmills needed a two-man crew on 12-hour watch, 7 days a week, mostly because a runaway windmill would burn its bearings, then its hardwood gears.
Attendants of these mills worried about their mill turning to a pile of ash in the "good" old days. And these structures were woefully inadequate, delivering a paltry fifteen horsepower at best, in favorable winds, which is about what a riding lawn mower does these days.
Thankfully, things have advanced to where we don't have to worry about that as much, but for new turbines, there is still maintenance that needs to be performed. Operation and maintenance (O&M) costs are a sizeable share of the annual costs of a wind turbine. O&M costs may easily make up 25% of the total cost per kWh produced over the lifetime of a wind turbine.
Since the wind doesn't always blow and the power generated by modern wind turbines is so unpredictable, conventional power plants have to serve as back-ups. For a power plant to be economical and have lower emissions, a fossil fueled power station needs to run at or near its designed capacity.
The amount of real estate necessary to support a wind farm and the dangers to plant and fowl leave this form of power generation less than advantageous. Wind power should never be considered for back-up or emergency power, because who among you can cause the wind to blow?
So, if you were to ask me what I think of wind as an alternate source of power (if you haven't gathered enough already), I would be forced to tell you that although wind is a powerful force, wind turbines are not a good use of natural resources, are a bit of a green mirage and like Rhett Butler might say "frankly, aren't worth a damn."
Michael Bonville
Training Administrator
GEN-TECH