Wind is one of the lower-cost renewable energy sources. According to a report from the
Cooperative Research Network, large wind farms can produce electricity at 2.7 cents to 5.7 cent per kilowatt-hour. Large wind farms take advantage of economies of scale, which drive down costs. However, one must be careful when comparing wind to fossil fuels. There are things to consider that may make wind seem unrealistic. For instance, wind’s intermittency makes it unreliable, prime wind farm sites may be too far from power lines and energy rates may be too low to make wind power financially realistic.

Consumer interest in renewable energy has grown steadily in recent years. This interest has been fueled by government entities, environmental groups, farm groups, manufacturers of renewable energy technologies and others who promote renewable energy by arguing that it can offer enormous environmental and economic benefits at reasonable costs. These groups encourage consumers to install their own generation equipment and to pressure their utilities to sell green power. For example, the American Corn Growers Foundation, with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has initiated a “Wealth from the Wind” program that seeks to promote wind generation and net metering in farming communities.

Through wind case studies, SES seeks to determine the economic feasibility of a residential wind system. Throughout the case studies, SES will determine a payback period for the system, amount of carbon dioxide saved, kW generated, voltage produced and kWh used by the utility. It is important to determine what impact a widn power will have on the grid and how it will impact other consumers served by the utility. SES seeks to determine what new technologies need to be in place for wind energy to become a viable source of power.