But isn’t wind power free and green?
Though free at the point of generation, wind energy is more expensive than conventional power as it is only produced when the wind conditions are right.
Your Energy estimates the turbines will generate full power for approximately 25% of all possible hours in the year. The remaining 75% of the time, the turbines lay idle due to either too much, or too little wind.
The environmental and financial resources required to build the wind farm are tremendous. Far from being clean and green, each turbine requires an olympic-sized swimming pool of concrete underneath to hold it in place. The smelting of aluminium for the turbine components is emissions intensive and power-hungry. The construction itself requires significant energy resources and transportation to the site of the 125 metre turbines is a huge operation.
Wind energy can only provide a substitute power supply. It cannot stand alone. When it feeds into the grid, it requires an alternative power supply such as gas, coal or nuclear as backup which can cut back in when the wind stops blowing.
