Q. Are there environmental benefits to wind energy? A. Wind energy is not derived from fuels i.e. oil, coal, or natural gas; therefore the electricity produced from the wind doesn’t dirty the air we breathe. When we rely on clean energy sources such as wind we do not pollute the atmosphere in the same manner as power plants do. The more we use resources such as wind, the less we need to run these plants, lowering emissions into the air. Unlike energy sources that use up our world’s natural resources, the wind is also a renewable resource requiring us to depend less on non-renewable resources. Q. What are the costs involved with wind energy?
A. Costs for electricity generated by wind have fallen by 80% since the early 1980s making wind energy the least expensive of all renewable energy technologies. Depending on project size and average wind speed at the site, electricity produced with wind energy is now competitive to other forms of electricity. As the technology continues to improve, the costs involved are expected to fall as well. Until then, small scale wind (less than 50kw) is still not cost effective compared to utility power unless a line extension is needed to bring in the utility power. Q. Are wind turbines noisy?
A. Improvements in the today’s systems are minimizing sound emissions from the turbine’s generator. Aerodynamics has already reduced the ‘rotor’ noise of the blades. High wind conditions can cause increased noise. Remember: to the owner of the turbine it is the sound of money, to the neighbours it may be an awful racket! Q. How much land is needed for large wind farms?
A. One turbine needs less than an acre of land while less than 5% of that land would be occupied by wind support structures allowing the land to be reclaimed for farming, animals, or other agricultural applications. Equipment or access roads occupy a marginal part of the space required. Q. How reliable is the wind and therefore wind turbines?
A. As with most other power sources, wind turbines generate electricity when being fueled (wind). While the wind doesn’t blow all the time, electric grids are designed to deal with such alternating patterns. As with traditional plants, they have spikes to their power consumption at different times depending on customer useage. When the wind blows, the power it generates is also helping to reduce the workload of fossil fuel plants therefore reducing emissions. Q. Are there subsidies provided by the government for wind energy?
A. There continues to be inroads by government to introduce subsidies and other forms of compensation. While this is still not the case in all provinces, the overall economic and ecological factors of green power cannot be ignored. Currently there is a 1 cent per kwh incentive for large scale wind farms. There is nothing right now for small residential or commercial systems. As the proficiency of these types of alternatives grows, so does the demand and therefore the government’s willingness to provide support for these programs. | 
