wind farms
Small and micro wind systems have their role, but the huge amount of electricity demanded by our cities or industries can only come from wind farms, either onshore or offshore.
Wind resources demanded by wind farms
Wind farms demand good windy sites. Wind resources are critical, and a minimum average wind speed of about 12-13 miles per hour (6 meters per second) is mandatory.
See: Wind speed and wind maps.
Proximity of existing infrastructures
High voltage lines cost thousands of dollars per mile. Consequently, their proximity from the wind farms are crucial.
Easy Access to the turbines
Roads and easy access to the wind farm turbines are also elements to consider when selecting an onshore site. Landowners and local communities may demand compensations for the use of their land, their roads or their structures, and those costs count in the assessment of a wind project.
The investment
A wind farm is an expensive project. Although the prices of wind turbines are lowering, a large 1 MW (Megawatt) wind turbine costs around $1 million dollars.
On the other hand, since any wind farm involves a reasonable number of turbines to get lower costs and economies of scale, any sustainable wind farm may demand an initial minimum investment of $20 million dollars.
See also:
Wind Costs
Wind Energy Payback and Financial Incentives
Onshore or offshore wind farms
See, for details: Onshore and offshore turbines
Legal requirements
Legal requirements concerning wind farms vary widely among jurisdictions, and may comprise zoning bylaws, safety and technical permits, environmental assessments, liabilities and insurances...
See, for details: Legal requirements
Other Sources of information on wind farms:
USA: Windustry
GB: British Wind Energy Association
Australia: Clean Energy Council
Canada: Canadian Energy Association
See also, for more information: