RES Americas Inc.

Who should I contact if I'm interested in having a wind farm on my property?
How efficient are wind turbines?
What happens when the wind stops blowing?
Do wind turbines affect property prices?
What is the lifetime of wind turbines?
What is the energy payback rate for a typical wind farm?
Will wind farms make any difference to global warming?
For more FAQs, please refer to these other excellent resources...

Who should I contact if I'm interested in having a wind farm on my property?

Please select the appropriate RES Americas office from our "Contact Us" option, and contact the development director.

How efficient are wind turbines?

Modern wind turbines are operational for 70-85% of the time and over the course of the year they will generate, on average, between 25% & 50% of the theoretical maximum output. This is known as a capacity or load factor. The exact figure is dependant on the location, technology, size, turbine reliability and wind conditions. By comparison, the load factor of conventional power stations such as coal, gas & nuclear is typically in the range 65% to 85%.
It is important to note that while capacity factor is almost entirely a matter of reliability for a fueled power plant, it is not for a wind plant, it is a matter of economical turbine design. With a very large rotor and a very small generator, a wind turbine would run at full capacity whenever the wind blew and would have a 60-80% capacity factor - but it would produce very little electricity. The most electricity per dollar of investment is gained by using a larger generator and accepting the fact that the capacity factor will be lower as a result. Wind turbines are fundamentally different from fueled power plants in this respect.

What happens when the wind stops blowing?

One argument that is often made against the use of more wind power is that it is intermittent. The fact is that electrical transmission systems are designed to cope with peaks and troughs in supply and demand. Even in areas where there are no wind farms, utility companies maintain other power plants that are not connected to the system ('spinning reserves') to come on-line at a moments notice if demand suddenly surges. Depending on the 'strength' of the transmission system, most areas in the US & Canada could cope with 10 to 20% of the electricity supply coming from 'intermittent' sources such as the wind without adding any additional backup.

Do wind turbines affect property prices?

There is currently little evidence showing that wind farms negatively impact upon house prices.
The Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) released results from an extensive study based on 25,000 homes within a 5 mile radius of various wind farms. The report showed no change in values other than a small increase, which is likely to be due to a general increase in property prices rather the benefits of a wind farm in the local area. The report stated the following:'‘If property values had been harmed by being within the view-shed of major wind developments, then we expected that to be shown in a majority of the projects analyzed. Instead, to the contrary, we found that for the great majority of projects the property values actually rose more quickly in the view shed than they did in the comparable community. Moreover, values increased faster in the view shed after the projects came online than they did before. Finally, after projects came online, values increased faster in the view shed than they did in the comparable community. In all, we analyzed ten projects in three cases; we looked at thirty individual analyses and found that in twenty six of those, property values in the affected view shed performed better than the alternative.'
Another report carried out by ECONorthwest was based on a nationwide survey conducted of tax assessors in areas with wind power projects, the report found no evidence to supporting the claim that views of wind farms decreased property values.

What is the lifetime of wind turbines?

The expected lifetime of a wind farm is typically 20 years from the date of commissioning. At the end of this period, a decision would be made to refurbish, replace or remove the turbines. If a decision were taken to decommission the wind farm, this would involve dismantling and removing from site the turbines and associated infrastructure, restoring the land to its former state.

What is the energy payback rate for a typical wind farm?

Each operational wind farm typically pays back the electricity consumed in making, installing, operating and decommissioning the wind farm in the first 3-10 months of its typical 20 year life.

Will wind farms make any difference to global warming?

In the US & Canada alone over 11,000MW of wind plant has been installed. Worldwide over 50,000MW has been installed, generating around 100TWh of electricity annually and employing 100,000 people. This is saving as much as 80 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (a major greenhouse gas) per year that would otherwise be released. Wind power today is meeting the domestic electricity needs of more than 45 million people.

For more FAQs, please refer to these other excellent resources...

American Wind Energy Association
Canadian Wind Energy Association (English)
L'Association Canadienne de l'Énergie Éolienne (Français)

Frequently Asked Questions