The Enormous Benefits of Wind Energy
While it is clear that wind energy is certainly an attainable goal for sustainable energy, consumers want to know that benefits they can expect.
– Cut your electricity bills: Wind is free, so once you’ve paid for the initial installation electricity costs will be reduced.
– Get paid for what you generate: Through Feed-in Tariffs, you get paid for the electricity you generate even if you use it. What you don’t use, you can export to the local grid – and get paid for that too.
– Cut your carbon footprint: Wind electricity is green, renewable energy and doesn’t release any harmful carbon dioxide or other pollutants.
– Store electricity for a calm day: If your home isn’t connected to the national grid you can store excess electricity in batteries and use it when there is no wind.
Foto: © 445017 – stock.adobe.com
Government incentives for all wind turbine producers allow for the economic feasibility of a wind-power system. Some of the current economic incentive programs run in the United States for renewable energy systems are certainly worth considering:
Production Tax Credit: Basically, wind-power generators, usually businesses, receive 1.8 cents (as of Dec. 2005) per kWh of wind energy produced for wholesale distribution during the first 10 years the wind farm is up and running.
Net metering: Individuals and businesses producing renewable energy receive credits for each kWh they produce above and beyond what they need. As an individual or business produces more electricity than needed, the power meter runs backwards, transmitting the extra electricity to the nearest power grid. The owner then receives credits for the electricity sent to the grid, which count as payment toward any future electricity drawn from the grid when the turbine can’t provide enough power.
Renewable-energy credits: Many states have renewable-energy quotas for power companies, meaning those companies must buy a certain portion of their electricity from renewable sources.
Foto: © Jan – stock.adobe.com
Installation tax credits: The federal government and some states offer tax credits for the costs of setting up a renewable-energy system. Maryland, for instance, offers businesses or landlords a credit for 25 percent of the cost of purchasing and installing a wind-turbine system if the energy-supplied building meets certain overall “green criteria.”
But replacing fossil fuels isn’t the only benefit: on average, more jobs are created for each unit of electricity generated from renewable sources than from fossil fuels.
Renewable, sustainable energy programs already support thousands of jobs in the United States. According to ucsusa.org, “In 2016, the wind energy industry directly employed over 100,000 full-time-equivalent employees in a variety of capacities, including manufacturing, project development, construction and turbine installation, operations and maintenance, transportation and logistics, and financial, legal, and consulting services. More than 500 factories in the United States manufacture parts for wind turbines, and wind power project installations in 2016 alone represented $13.0 billion in investments.”
Anna Kučírková
Conclusion
As mankind moves towards renewable, sustainable energy, the advances in wind power are offering new opportunities. It offers us a chance to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and it has created a new industry offering more jobs.
If we can harvest wind energy cleanly, we can stop polluting our planet and maintain a healthy environment for all its inhabitants.
*) Anna Kučírková works as a copywriter for over 4 years. She speaks 3 languages, loves traveling and has a passion for kids and writing. While she has been to many places in Europe and South East Asia, she still wants to explore the rest of the world.“
Originally published on IQS Directory
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