Wind power makes electricity cheaper

Date: 19 Nov 2009 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

As it grows, wind power can increasingly displace expensive fossil fuel generators. In Texas (and also in Germany), wind is already helping to drive down electricity prices.

This is commonly known as the “merit order” effect, as sources with greater social merit (wind and solar power) are taken first by the grid, displacing dirtier and more expensive energy sources.  The following two illustrations, from Feed-in Tariffs in America, illustrate the effect.

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John Farrell

John Farrell directs the Energy Democracy initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and he develops tools that allow communities to take charge of their energy future, and pursue the maximum economic benefits of the transition to 100% renewable power.