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Costs & Investment in Wind Electric Generators

 
   

Realities concerning the micro, the small and the large wind turbines (and wind farms) are very different. And so is their initial investment… A micro wind turbine for typical battery charging use may cost you a few hundred dollars, but a reasonable large wind farm, with, say, 20 typical mega turbines may cost you $20 million dollars or more…

Costs also depend on location, type of system (on-grid, stand-alone, offshore, onshore...), and involving infrastructures and high voltage lines.

Small wind systems prices

Small turbines of 1 kW (
kilowatt) may cost you something around 2,500  or 3,000 USD.

Larger turbines may cost you rather proportionally. Prices between 20,000 and 25,000 USD (13,000€ - 16,000 €) are common for 7,5 kW turbines (more than sufficient to provide the electrical needs of a home), while a 10k kW turbine may cost you around 30,000 USD…

These are just references that include the turbine, components (mast, inverters, battery storage…) and installation, though special anti-corrosion paintings and other more specific options are often billed separately.
 
Micro wind systems prices

There is a wide range of applications for micro wind systems. Most of these systems cost only some hundreds of dollars, but most demanding ones, connected to battery charging (up to 1kW) may cost up to 2,500 - $3,000 (1,700€ - 1,900 €).  

Wind Farms Investment

Wind farms are costly projects. A typical 1,5 MW mega turbine may cost you 1,000,000 USD (630,000 €) or more. And since a wind farm involves a reasonable number of turbines to obtain large economies of scale (costs reductions due to dimension), investments higher than 20,000,000 are common.


Stand alone and grid-connected systems

On-grid systems are usually cheaper than stand-alone systems… if the high voltage lines are sufficiently close to the turbines. Differences of 3,000 to 5,000 USD in prices are common.

See:
Stand alone energy systems
On-grid energy systems


Offshore wind vs. onshore wind costs

So far offshore energy costs are higher than onshore wind ones. Capital costs may be around 30-50% higher, due to foundations or extra costs of transporting and installing.

That’s why onshore may be a better option in good windy sites. However, since offshore wind loads and resources are usually better, the initial extra-investment may be partially offset by higher energy production…

Besides, offshore technology improvements may also narrow the gap between the initial investments on onshore and offshore. Prices are expected to drop significantly on offshore installations and technology.

See, for details:
Wind farms

Onshore and offshores wind systems







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