Study: Wind Power Costs Taxpayers Billions of Dollars
Townhall.com
Katie Pavlich
15 October 2013
According to a new study conducted by Texas Tech University Professor Dr. Michael Giberson for the Institute for Energy Research, the government and wind lobby aren’t telling taxpayers the whole truth about how much wind energy really costs. The study comes as the wind lobby is set to receive another extension on massive subsidies with little results to show for it.
Professor Michael Giberson
“As Big Wind’s lobbyists fight tooth and nail to extend the wind Production Tax Credit, it is important that we look at the true costs of wind power to taxpayers and ratepayers,” IER President Thomas Pyle said about the study. “Despite being propped up by government mandates and billion dollar subsidies for decades, wind power continues to be an expensive and boutique energy source that the American people cannot rely on for power when they need it. Although lobbyists for the wind industry prefer to downplay the real costs of wind power, Dr. Giberson has produced a fact-based study that demonstrates just how expensive it really is.”
According to the study, wind energy costs taxpayers $12 billion per year and shows wind power costs $109 per megawatt hour, nearly double government estimates of just $72 per megawatt hour. The study also shows wind power doesn’t decrease the cost of electricity as environmental groups and government advocates claim, but instead shifts costs onto taxpayers. In addition, wind energy subsidies allow those who start wind projects to easily game the system.
“Wind power projects often obtain additional production subsidies, and these subsidies allow the wind project owner to profit even when power prices go negative,” the study states.
Townhall.com
Prof Giberson’s study is well worth the read – you can read the entire study here.
The points – very well made – are those that we’ve been banging on about since we started.
Wind power is economically unsustainable simply because it comes at crazy, random intervals and, therefore, has to be matched MW for MW with on-demand generation capacity (which means OCGTs and/or diesel generators) kept on standby, ready to be cranked into gear at a minute’s notice when wind-watts go AWOL hundreds of times each year.
Prof Giberson’s comprehensive work shows that wind power has NOTHING to do with reducing CO2 emissions and is simply about fleecing power punters, pure and simple.
Once you’ve read Prof Giberson’s fine effort, we suggest you take a look at Paul Miskelly’s brilliant work – which covers much of the same territory – in our posts here and here and here.
It’s not as if they didn’t know what we were all about!
About stopthesethings
STOP THESE THINGS 
I am simply stunned at the amount of research that is now being undertaken and reports produced which are showing the failings of this industry. The industry cannot continue to lie, it has to accept it is a ‘falling star’ and give up. Eventually the Governments everywhere will realise the error of continuing to support this industry. The money they are paying this industry to not supply what was promised, could have been spent on medical care, housing, assisting worthwhile businesses to grow, as well as better education.
Worldwide countries have massive debts so much so they cannot provide for their citizens needs, while all the time funding private enterprise pockets for no worthwhile outcomes to the countries or their people.
I could not agree more, well said.
Of course it is about the money.
Christine Milne’s Green Mafia trousered 1million+, as is on the public record, effectively REC profits from Wind Inc to seek control of the senate and sustain the deception and profits.
The effectiveness of that investment is comparable to the effectiveness of wind turbines. Zero.
Time now for the new Government to Act on the Facts and remove the RECs.