Although it is much less expensive to initially get hooked into the local electric company's grid than it is to set up and hook into wind turbines, in the long run one saves money by utilizing the wind for one's energy needs—while also becoming more independent. Not receiving an electric bill while enjoying the advantages of the modern electrically-driven lifestyle is a wondrous feeling.

Electric bills and fuel bills are rising steadily—but the cost of wind turbine energy is zero, and the cost of installing and hooking up a turbine is steadily coming down as demand rises and more commercial success is realized by various companies producing the turbines and researching technologies to make them ever more efficient.

In addition, people are moving away from the traditional electric grids and the fossil fuels for personal reasons including desire for greater independence, the desire to live remotely or rurally without having to “go primitive”, political concerns such as fears of terrorist strikes on oil fields or power grids, or concerns about the environment.

Again, this motivation to get away from the traditional energy sources is the same one that causes people to seek the power of the wind for their energy, giving more business opportunities to profit from wind turbine production and maintenance, which drives their costs down for the consumers. In nearly thirty states at the time of this writing, homeowners who remain on the grid but who still choose to use wind energy (or other alternative forms) are eligible for rebates or tax breaks from the state governments that end up paying for as much as 50% of their total “green” energy systems' costs.

In addition, there are 35 states at the time of this writing where these homeowners are allowed to sell their excess energy back to the power company under what are called “net metering laws”. The rates that they are being paid by the local power companies for this energy are standard retail rates—in other words, the homeowners are actually profiting from their own energy production.

Some federal lawmakers are pushing to get the federal government to mandate these tax breaks and other wind power incentives in all 50 states.

Japan and Germany already have national incentive programs in place. However, “A lot of this is handled regionally by state law. There wouldn't really be a role for the federal government,” the Energy Department's Craig Stevens says. And as might be imagined, there are power companies who feel that it's unfair that they should have to pay retail rates to private individuals. “We should [only have to] pay you the wholesale rate for ... your electricity,” according to Bruce Bowen, Pacific Gas & Electric's director of regulatory policy.

However, the companies seem to be more worried about losing short term profits than about the benefits, especially in the long run, of the increased use of wind turbines or wind farms. Head of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies of California V. John White points out, “It's quality power that strengthens the grid.”

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As modern society searches around for alternative energy sources, wind farms are getting mention. There are, however, limitations regarding wind farms as major energy alternatives.

Wind Farms – Limitations as Energy Platforms

Wind power is an enticing energy platform compared to fossil fuels. The process works by using the inherent energy in wind as a method for producing electricity.

The actual methodology is much like hydropower, but with wind used in place of water. Wind turbines catch the wind, which turns their blades. This turning motion cranks a generator that produces electricity. The electricity is stored in batteries or fed into the electrical grid of a utility.

Walla, you have power!

Using wind power for localized needs has been around for a long time. The Persians are believed to be the first to use it with the purpose being to turn grain grinding stones. In modern times, the sole purpose is to generate electricity. On a large scale, this means wind farms.

Wind farms are simply large collections of wind turbines in a defined area.

If you have ever driven east out of San Francisco, you have seen the wind farm along the freeway. While it is both intoxicating and a pollution free source of electricity, a wind farm has definite limitations.

The biggest limitation of wind farms is the electricity produced. Simply put, they do not produce massive amounts, certainly not on the scale needed in most cities in industrialized nations. Obviously, each location is different, but wind is simply not a constant occurrence in most places.

Even when it is, the number of turbines required to produce enough energy for a city is mind boggling. This, of course, leads to a second limitation.

Wind farms need to cover a lot of physical space to produce large amounts of electricity. In many industrialized countries, space is at a premium. As a result, the sheer cost of purchasing land for wind farms is prohibitive. This issue, however, is losing some of its grit as offshore wind farms are becoming more prevalent.

To some, one of the limitations of wind farms is they are eyesores. Personally, I think they are mesmerizing and have an artistic appearance.

Others, however, definitely do not agree. The Cape Wind offshore wind farm project has met with massive resistance for just this reason.

The limitations of wind farms are fairly significant at this point in time. As technology and new approaches, such as offshore wind farms, come to the forefront, these problems may fall the wayside.

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In March 2005, the University of Minnesota-Morris became the first public American university to install a large-scale wind turbine to help meet the school's electrical needs. Since it was installed, the generator has supplied some 60 percent of the university's power.

The rest of the school's power needs are purchased from Otter Tail Power Company's Tailwinds Program.

Those figures mean that whether the electricity is generated on site or purchased off the grid, 100 percent of UMM's electrical power needs are supplied by wind power, but the school's commitment to energy independence doesn't stop there.

The university's students have helped the school reach toward its energy goals by reducing electricity, water, and waste needs. The faculty has also gotten into the spirit, as well, placing considerable emphasis on green power and conservation in their classrooms.

The UMM 1.65 megawatt Vestas generator is an impressive sight, with 135-foot blades and a 230-foot tower, making the massive machine stand some 365 feet tall, but its impact on the community and the state of Minnesota goes far greater than that.

The generator has become a major tourist and field trip destination in central Minnesota, and has helped raise the awareness of thousands of people, especially school children, since its construction in 2005.

The generator is a model of efficiency, and only takes a breeze of 7-9 mph to begin generating electricity. It takes a 26 mph wind to generate the unit's full 1.65 megawatts.

There’s a dedicated power line to the UMM campus, and if the University needs more power, the local utility lines provide it automatically, so no one on campus knows if the power is coming from the generator or the grid at any given time. On the other side of the coin, whenever UMM’s power needs are less than what the generator is producing, the excess electric energy is directed back into the local utility grid.

All this is impressive, but the university has even more extensive plans for increasing its energy independence.

There are plans for the construction of a biomass gasification plant at UMM in 2006, which will be capable of meeting 80 percent of the campus' heating and cooling needs. The plant will use stover (stalk residue) from cornfields in the area, as well as waste wood, other crop residues and various organic stocks as its fuel base.

The United States as a whole is second only to Germany in total production of wind-generated electricity, with California, Texas, and Minnesota leading the way.

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