Can wind energy be cheaper than regular power?

Alternative energy is great for the environment, but it's certainly not cheap in most cases right now. Germany, Canada and California, among other places, have to subsidize solar power so that it can compete with electricity from coal-fired or gas plants.

But in some cases alternatives are already cheap enough to compete with conventional power. In Ireland, for instance, wind power can be supported with minimal subsidies, said Jason Bak, CEO of Finavera Renewables, which specializes in wind-powered utilities and wave power equipment. The wind blows hard on the island and its on the edge of Europe's power grid. Recent studies sponsored by the government show that wind power in many instances will be cheaper than electricity from natural gas plants.

"It's a pretty unusual market," he said in an interview in our offices this week. Sweden, Denmark and Scotland may also be able to achieve wind power parity, he speculated.

Concentrated solar power, which harvests the heat of the sun, can also compete with conventional electricity, but the plants have to be extremely large, say proponents. To date, none are large enough.

[Maisycq]

Nope

The problem with wind and solar is a concept called "capacity factor". Wind and solar only work when the wind blows and when the sun is shining. In most places, that comes out to about 1/4 of the time. So the capacity factor is .25. That means whatever cost of electricity numbers are being quoted, those numbers are when the power plants are actually producing power. Multiple that cost by four and you have the real cost of electricity.

Do they work in some special locations? Sure.

But most of the world wants electricity when they want it, and as cheaply as possible.

Take a look at stationary fuel cells. The run on renewable fuels and run 24/7. FuelCell Energy, United Technologies and Plug Power are all doing stuff with fuel cells for stationary power generation.

[wildlywicked]

Yes Yes Yes

In terms of environmental impact, ANYTHING is cheaper than regular coal/fossil fueled power.

On the cost side, use of wind power now will save increased operating costs for businesses and environmental cleanup costs later on. In essence, wind and other renewables are a preventative and permanent energy solution, not some 'top up' or compliment to an age old and simply archaic energy source.

Cave men burnt stuff for heat - we live in the 21st century.

[jb_marsh]

Energy subsidies...

Wind energy doesn't need to be cheaper than 'conventional' energy sources to compete, it just needs the same subsidies that the rest of the energy producers enjoy.
It really should be cheaper to produce power from the wind, or the sun, or the tides though, since there is no need to dig up fuel to run them. Once the generators are built and in place, there is only the cost of maintenance...
It is not just Europe that is looking to use wind power, there are two large scale offshore wind projects planed in the northeast US, one off of Cape Cod and one off of Long Island. Both would provide significant additions to their local power grids.

[Christopher Hall]

Wind won't fly

We can't do wind power. Don't you know that kills birds? We would be destroying the very thing we mean to protect.