Is It Worth The Cost Of Wind Energy?

Lastly, wind energy is cost effective in terms of the machinery used to provide it, as well as the cost of the energy produced. Although initially it was believed that the initial cost of wind turbine construction is too high to make it a cost effective alternative, long term studies have proven this to be inaccurate. Recently a study was conducted to determine the amount of time it would take for a new wind turbine, with an average lifecycle of about twenty years, to defray or offer net benefits greater than the impact it would cost to build them (Inderscience Publishers, 2014). It was determined from this study that the energy taken to produce wind turbines was offset after the turbines had been online and working for only five to eight

A recent study has shown that wind energy will be one of the lowest priced forms of energy in Asia within the next ten years (Lappeenranta University of Technology, 2015). Information of this type does not need to be limited to Asia, however, as it is due to increased capacity, causing the price of the form of energy to fall (LUT, 2015). For instance, wind energy prices in the United States were reported as being exceedingly low in comparison to recent years (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2015). This has been accomplished through the building of bigger and taller turbines, which catch stronger winds caused by atmospheric pressure changes, as well as the falling prices of building wind turbines themselves. As further advancement is made to limit the cost of the production of materials and produce taller and more effective turbines, these costs can only decline further. To summarize these benefits, wind turbines are cost effective in that the energy costs are defrayed within a matter of months, turbines can operate for twenty-five years or longer at a significant production level, and costs to consumers are low and lowering further through the enhancement of the equipment and the further placement of