How much does wind power cost?
The cost of wind power depends on three things: the speed of the wind, the cost of wind turbine(s) construction, and the size of the wind farm. If the wind farm is large and located in an area of high wind speeds, and construction costs are low, wind energy will cost less to produce. At the moment, the costs of generating electricity from wind ranges from 6 to 14 cents (CAD$) per kilowatt hour (kWh). Compared to other energy resources, such as natural gas, this may seem high. However, there is a finite supply of non-renewable natural fuel and as supply declines, costs increase. Wind energy has no fuel costs and its operating costs continue to decrease every year by 3-5% due to greater efficiencies and economies of scale. Also, when the additional negative effects and costs of coal-fired or nuclear power are quantified and figured into the equation (e.g., health costs associated with pollution, nuclear fuel refining, waste storage), the true cost of traditional generation is much higher
