Abstract
Wind energy is a commercially available renewable energy source, with state-of-the-art wind plants producing electricity at about $0.05 per kWh. However, even at that production cost, wind-generated electricity is not yet fully cost-competitive with coal-or natural-gas-produced electricity for the bulk electricity market. The wind is a proven energy source; it is not resource-limited in theUnited States, and there are no insolvable technical constraints. This paper describes current and historical technology, characterizes existing trends, and describes the research and development required to reduce the cost of wind-generated electricity to full competitiveness with fossil-fuel-generated electricity for the bulk electricity market. Potential markets are described.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 9 |
| State | Published - 1995 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/TP-441-8162
Keywords
- electricity
- wind energy
- wind-generated electricity
