Isn't wind power really expensive?
No. The cost of generating electricity from the wind has fallen dramatically over the past few years. Wind power can now produce electricity at a cheaper price than nuclear power in the UK. Energy from the wind will become even cheaper in the future as greater experience is gained in manufacturing and developing this relatively new technology. When the full costs of the environmental damage caused by fossil fuels and nuclear power are taken into account, wind power is an even better buy.
For example, it has been estimated that if the cost of environmental damage were included, the price of electricity from coal would be three times higher than electricity from the wind. The full costs of nuclear power, including dealing with highly-radioactive waste and decommissioning of old plants, are still not included in the price of electricity.
The Government's own report on energy policy (the PIU report) predicted that by 2020, the cost of generating electricity from nuclear power would be 3-4p per kWh, whereas the cost of production from offshore wind costs would be 2-3p per kWh. Onshore wind is set to be the cheapest form of electricity generation of all by 2020, and is already competitive with fossil fuels at an average price of 2.88p/kWh.
For more information: see the BWEA fact sheet on the costs of producing electricity from wind power
http://www.bwea.com/ref/econ.html
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