Why Wind?

We've used the wind as an energy source for a long time. The Babylonians and Chinese were using wind power to pump water for irrigating crops 4,000 years ago, and sailing boats were around long before that. Wind power was used in the Middle Ages, in Europe, to grind corn, which is where the term "windmill" comes from.

Wind energy is clean. Electricity generated by wind turbines won't dirty the air we breathe or emit pollutants like other energy sources – that means less smog, less acid rain and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Power plants are the largest stationary source of air pollution in the developed world, emitting millions of tons of sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides and carbon dioxide each year. These pollutants are believed to be the cause of global warming. Running a single 1-MW wind turbine can displace 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide in one year (equivalent to planting one square mile of forest).

Wind energy is cost competitive to other fuel sources and it is the least expensive of all renewable energy sources. Because wind is free, wind energy can provide a stable long-term price for power production. The cost of harnessing the wind is expected to continue to decline as the technology improves and the market for this source develops.

The economic benefits of wind energy can be significant, especially for the communities in which wind projects are sited. Building a wind energy project results in investment in local businesses and infrastructure, creates construction and operations jobs at the wind project site, and increases local tax revenues.