How much energy do we save when we use wind turbines?

Question

How much energy do we save when we use wind turbines?

Answer 1

I don't know exactly, but the protesters from the Audubon society all took separate cars to get there.

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it depends on how long it operates right?  it's essentially free, so the longer the better.   Maybe your question should be how much energy per year does the average wind turbine generate?

Answer 2

Wind save on the use of fossil fuels and their pollution and greenhouse gases and all the other problems associated with our oil dependency.

Those problems are huge, both environmentaly, economically and geopolitically.  There won't be wars fought over solar and wind.

Some estimates are that we could have 20% wind power electrical generation be 2020.

"In the US, the American Wind Energy Association forecasts that installed capacity could grow from 11,603 MW today to around 100,000 MW by 2020. In Canada, Emerging Energy Research predicts that installed wind capacity will expand from around 1,500 MW today to around 14,000 MW by 2015."

{from an article at altenergystocks.com by Charles Morand}

"Estimates of the cost to construct nuclear power plants are as high as $4,000 per kilowatt, as compared to about $1,400 per kilowatt for wind projects."

http://www.cleanwisconsin.org/campaigns/...

There are areas in Denmark and Germany who use more than 40 percent of their electricity from wind.   From what I have read, they are less concerned about the intermittency than we are in the United States even though we aren't at 1 pecent yet.   Why?   Because we are told by the fossil fuel guys, hey, can't use wind, can't use solar, what about the intermittency.   If wind gets up to 40 percent of the electricity we use and solar gets up to 40 of the electricity we use, the other percents of electricity we need can be made up from the fossil fuel plants that are still there.  If they are run less at full power, they can last a long time.  That can be your electricity `battery.'"

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/1/...

Answer 3

THINK ABOUT IT IF YOU USE 100 kW OF WIND POWER THEN YOU SAVED 100kW of ELECTRICITY MADE FROM ANOTHER SOURCE.If are using energy it doesn't matter your not saving anything but wind power is a better choice for the environment as it produces no emissions

Answer 4

None.   You are just using a different form of energy thats non polluting.

Answer 5

It's not that you save energy, it's that you got the energy without polluting the Earth to get that energy.

Answer 6

I agree with all the other answers. You do not "save" energy when using a wind energy system, you are simply harnessing and using a differenty type of energy. If you net meter any electricity you generate and don't use can be fed back to the grid. In effect, you become your own power plant.

For instance, a skystream 3.7 (1.9W) is rated for 400 kw/mo at an average 12 mph wind. Get a 1 year history of your electric usage to find the average of what you are using in your home and you will find out what percentage of your energy usage will come first from your own power plant before using the grid power.

The best way to "save" energy is to practice conservation! The more you conserve the more effective a wind system will become for you! If you need ideas for conservation let me know.