Wind Power Facts

Since the time of Pharaohs, man has been known to carry out his work with the help of the wind. The Nile River along with the crocodiles and sailboats harness the power of the wind for travel. Then the Middle Eastern societies built windmills to grind grain some thousand years later. Soldiers brought their first windmills home during the crusade to Europe, where it was used in the form of Dutch windmill which we are all familiar with. These are few of the wind power facts that we should familiarize ourselves with.

Even though windmills have been around forever, they are not considered an old-fashioned source of energy production. The technology involved in windmills or wind turbines has evolved over time. At present, there are 50,000 wind turbines around the world, working to give more than 50 billion kilowatt hours annually. Typically, an American household uses ten thousand kilowatt hours per year. That is more than enough energy to heat and light up five million homes. A group of windmills known as a wind farm, the size of one-tenth of the State of Nevada can supply the entire United States with power, by completing replacing fossil fuel sources.

The percent of the demand for total power requirement met by wind energy differs around the world. These are few interesting wind power facts. By the year 2020, it is expected that the wind energy will contribute six percent of the total power required by the U.S. The goal set by U.K is ten percent of wind powered by 2010. Presently, Spain get six percent, Germany consumes eight percent and Denmark if far ahead of them with over twenty percent use of wind energy.

What are the ways in which to reap the benefits of wind energy? You can install a wind turbine on your property. Evolution of technology has paved way for individuals to access the power of the wind privately without having to go through large commercial undertakings like wind farms. Federal, state, and local governments often reward those who invest in wind energy privately. Several programs are designed to help you invest in renewable sources.

Production credit is available in certain areas. When you set up wind farm to produce wind energy, you get $1.8 per kilowatt-hour produced for the first ten years. The private producer does not enjoy the benefit of this type of credit. Often, you can sell power back to the power company. Once you have produced enough power to cover your needs, your meter begins to run backward. Rest of the unconsumed power can be sold back to the power company at retail prices, not the wholesale price a company would negotiate with a commercial producer of wind energy.

In many states, when you are small producer of wind energy, you are offered “green credits” for producing renewable energy. You can do several things with these green credits, like sell, buy, or trade them. Large traditional energy producing companies are required to earn a certain amount of green credits annually and are willing to buy them from you to make their quota of these credits.

Several tax credits such as tax credits to help with purchase and installation are also available. In some states, landowners can enjoy the benefits in the form of a tax credit of up to twenty-five percent of the cost of installing an approved alternative energy system.

I hope these wind power facts have made you realize the importance of this age-old alternative power source as the most viable solution for our future.