Coal, one of humanity’s oldest fuel sources, has been facing increased competition from cleaner burning alternatives such as natural gas and renewable energy resources.
To investigate the potential impacts of switching from coal to wind power, this study survey residents living near both wind turbines and coal power plants in Delaware.
Costs
Wind turbine vs coal power plant costs vary based on the type of electricity generated. On average, wind energy has lower operational and capital expenses than fossil fuel-fired plants due to its high efficiency level.
Over the past decade, renewables’ costs have significantly declined due to advances in technology and U.S.-based manufacturing. As a result, they are now more affordable to construct than new coal or gas generation facilities.
Lazard, an investment bank, recently published a report on the life cycle cost of energy (LCOE) for renewables in 2019. They found that these sources are significantly cheaper than producing electricity from fossil fuels and require less operating expenses compared with fossil-fueled plants. Furthermore, these plants are competitive with natural gas and nuclear generation sources as well.
One major reason renewables have become so cost-effective is they require less capital investment than new fossil fuel-fired power plants. This is because building a wind farm or solar array requires less money than mining and burning coal for power production, making renewable energy sources more cost-effective overall.
Furthermore, renewables typically have lower operating and maintenance costs than traditional power plants due to their generally cleaner production of electricity and higher efficiency levels. This is particularly true for wind and solar farms which tend to be smaller and more centralized compared to those producing large amounts of electricity over long distances.
It is possible to finance the construction of wind farms and solar arrays with government tax credits and other energy incentives. Doing so can lower the overall cost of renewables, making them more appealing to utilities.
In the United States, the cost to build and run a wind turbine is about half that of an existing coal power plant. This stark difference should spur utilities to invest in cleaner energy sources.
Another reason renewables are so affordable is they can be financed with low-interest loans, making them more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses and encouraging investors to back them.
Utility-scale wind and solar projects offer the greatest potential for consumers, particularly because they’re more scalable than other energy systems and can be expanded in size while increasing the amount of renewables produced. Furthermore, these types of projects tend to be more cost-effective for customers which in turn encourages them to purchase renewables.
Environmental Impact
Wind power is often considered one of the greenest energy sources, as it doesn’t produce any toxic pollution or global warming emissions. However, wind power comes with its own set of challenges as well.
Wind turbines consume a substantial amount of land and require service roads, adding to the environmental damage they cause. Furthermore, they generate noise and may cause visual interference that may be an inconvenience for residents, particularly at night.
Furthermore, the production of wind turbine components presents a major environmental concern. These materials come from fossil fuels and can cause harm when improperly disposed of.
Fortunately, some materials used in wind power generation can be reused or recycled. For instance, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed a system for manufacturing wind turbine blades made out of thermoplastic resins instead of just one piece of metal.
Researchers at Arizona State University have developed an electrochemical process for recycling solar panels. They’ve discovered that dissolving solar cells in nitric acid allows them to remove tin, copper and lead from them.
Another major concern is the potential risk of bird and bat deaths caused by wind turbines. Wildlife biologists have determined that birds and bats are most active when wind speeds are low, making it essential to keep turbines motionless during these times in order to prevent animal deaths.
If you are contemplating building a wind farm, it is essential to take into account these elements before making any final decisions.
Wind power generates far fewer life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions than natural gas or coal, such as 11 grams per kilowatt-hour versus 980 and 465 grams respectively per kWh of electricity generated.
Furthermore, switching to more renewable power sources will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming and other damaging impacts on the environment. Furthermore, this is an economical way to reduce carbon emissions.
Energy Security
Energy security is a pressing global concern, yet fossil fuels still dominate most energy profiles. This has resulted in environmental degradation and climate change. To truly address these problems, renewable sources must make up a substantial portion of global electricity production.
Wind turbine vs coal power plant: If you stand atop Coal River Mountain in eastern Kentucky and look up, you might spot an old coal power plant sitting idle. Or, you might see a mountaintop filled with ever-increasing numbers of wind turbines producing more electricity than what the coal plant can supply to the grid.
This makes the area an ideal location for a wind power project, as well as providing local economic benefits. Asset Resolution estimates that the mountaintop wind project would create more jobs than mountaintop removal coal mining scenarios, according to their report.
Wind power offers significantly lower maintenance and operational costs compared to nuclear power, making it a more cost-effective solution. Furthermore, wind energy has more safety, making it safer and better suited to avoid disasters like the Kyshtym accident in 1957, Chernobyl disaster in 1986, Tokaimura nuclear accident 1999, and Fukushima Daiichi earthquake of 2011.
Another important advantage of wind power is that it does not emit greenhouse gas emissions. This issue has become a major concern for governments and organizations worldwide, including the United States government; thus, they have set an aggressive goal of phaseing out coal as an electricity source by 2022.
Wind power has several other potential benefits that can contribute to improving countries’ energy security. It replaces expensive fossil fuels like coal and helps stabilize output during times of unstable supply such as recent price volatility in China and Europe.
Wind turbines are also flexible, and can be substituted by other power sources during times of low winds or when demand exceeds available supply. This is important because wind speed and direction cannot always be predicted, so the power system needs to have capacity to manage this fluctuation.
Energy Independence
Energy independence is a contentious issue in the United States. Proponents of increasing oil production and eliminating drilling restrictions from areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and outer continental shelf often argue that greater energy self-sufficiency will help avoid major supply disruptions.
Wind turbines produce electricity directly from the wind, unlike coal-fired power plants which need fuel that must be mined and transported. This keeps wind energy costs low since there’s no cost of production or transportation involved. Furthermore, its price stability allows it to compete with fossil fuels and nuclear energy sources without incurring additional expenses.
One major advantage is the consistency of fuel prices; they remain fixed and predictable over time, making it simpler for companies to budget energy expenses and invest in projects which will yield profits over time. Furthermore, lower emissions and less pollution are two additional advantages.
It’s evident why the world is transitioning away from coal power. Despite this decline, coal remains the most common form of electricity worldwide and accounts for 38% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Renewable energy is unquestionably the way of the future, but eliminating fossil fuel dependence isn’t always straightforward. Not only are there numerous environmental and health hazards associated with coal and fossil fuel use, but there are political and economic complexities as well that remain uncertain.
For instance, there’s much controversy surrounding large US pipelines and other fuel infrastructure projects. These are an integral part of America’s energy industry and may be difficult to remove if they’re essential for economic development or have significant social effects.
Another issue with coal power is its excessive emissions of pollutants, including toxic mercury. Estimates suggest coal plants release around 13 milligrams of mercury into the air per MWh of electricity produced – an astonishing amount.
Thankfully, wind does not emit any of these pollutants. Furthermore, estimates indicate that wind produces about 0.04 deaths per TWh – 615 times less than coal!
Coal plants also emit a great deal of background radiation into the atmosphere, something wind doesn’t do. Thus, to generate as much clean electricity as a coal plant does, you’d need an infinite number of wind turbines.
Hi, I’m David. I’m an author of ManagEnergy.tv where we teach people how to save energy and money in their homes and businesses.
I’ve been a writer for most of my life and have always been interested in helping people learn new things. When I was younger, I would write short stories for my classmates and teach them how to do math problems.
I love traveling and have been lucky enough to visit some fantastic places around the world.
