Wind Power Becoming More Affordable

Aug 27, 2008 by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) The national push to develop more forms of renewable energy has helped make wind energy more competitive with energy produced from fossil fuels, says one local wind energy developer.

"Wind is now the only renewable energy resource presently that can compete on commercial scale with coal plants and natural gas power plants," says Tracy Livingston, Director and CEO of Wasatch Wind. "What has happened over the last 24 months, due to the rising cost of fossil fuel, wind is actually, for new power generation, lower cost than those resources."

Livingston says wind energy can help stabilize the cost of power to consumers because, unlike power from fossil fuels, because its price can be fixed for twenty years. In addition to providing clean energy, Livingston says the presence of a wind power plant can also have strong economic impacts on the communities they exist in.

"They have no burden on local infrastructure, so all of the property taxes that are generated by these wind plants can go to the local schools," says Livingston. "In Spanish Fork for instance, over the next 20 years the Nebo School District will see over $5 million in incremental increase in property taxes that will go right to the school."

To listen to a longer conversation about the development of wind plants, download a podcast of today's Public Square.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW