Blowin’ in the Wind: Turbines Take Off

Spain Profits From Wind Power; Advocates Say U.S. Will Too

Wind power has been billed as one of those fantastic green technologies destined to wean us off of oil and other fossil fuels — except that in the U.S. it still provides just a tiny percentage of our energy needs.

But a storm has been blowing in off the coast of Spain over the last few days, with gusts of up to 75 miles an hour. There could not be better news for the renewable energy business there.

Wind power has become an important part of the energy mix in many European countries. During a storm on Jan. 23, when gales blew in off the Atlantic, wind turbines reportedly provided 27 percent of Spain’s electricity demand — yes, more than a quarter of the country’s needs — and the latest storm may well break that record.

The wind-power business is large enough there that when the wind goes up, the price of power goes down, guided by the laws of supply and demand. Prices on the spot market for electricity dropped 11 percent.

“Once your wind turbines go up,” said Christine Real de Azua of the American Wind Energy Association, “you have basically no costs. The upfront capital costs of building turbines are high, but once you’ve built the turbines, the fuel is free.”

ABC News