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Wind Power Falls Under $0.01/kwh

js7a writes "Colorado State University's Rocky Mountain Collegian reports that, "as of June [the price of wind power] dropped to 1 cent per kWh." Even without further expected improvements in turbine technology, the U.S. would now need to use less than 3% of its farmland to get 95% of its electricity demand satisfied by wind power. Plus, wind power is the only mitigation of global warming, because if the whole world converted to wind power in 15 years, the amount of power being extracted from the atmosphere would be more than the increase in greenhouse gas atmospheric energy forcing since 1600. Don't say goodbye to coal and oil, yet, though; unless cell technology increases substantially, when we run out of oil we will convert coal to synthetic fuel." Update: 09/15 13:40 GMT by T : Note: the "1 cent" figure refers to the premium paid for the power over conventionally supplied electricity, rather than the final per-kWh price.

8 of 1,064 comments (clear)

  1. The drag could slow the Earths Rotation!!! by sloscheider · · Score: 5, Funny

    We must fight this evil invention!

  2. hot air? by loid_void · · Score: 4, Funny

    And think of all the hot air in Washington that could be put to use just trying to legislate the whole thing.

    --
    Anyone seen my jagged little pill?
  3. 3%? by NMSpaz · · Score: 5, Funny
    The U.S. would now need to use less than 3% of its farmland to get 95% of its electricity demand satisfied by wind power.
    Even less if we put them in Florida...
  4. Re:Not right now... by NewtonsLaw · · Score: 3, Funny

    currently, our storage capacity for electricity is zero

    God damn it man -- we can store electricity. All we need are a goodly number of these devices :-)

    And why not resurect the dinosaurs using reminents of their DNA (just like jurasic park) -- then oil would become a renewable resource!

    ----
    When your an idiot, anything is possible!

  5. Re:Wind energy will never work by Frennzy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hello.

    Wow, I hadn't thought of that. Forget wind, then. While we're at it, forget solar, because the sun doesn't shine all the time.

    I'd better go ahead and tear down my solar-power station I have setup at camp...there's obviously no way it can be working...although I do wonder what those darn heavy batteries are for....

  6. This just in... by Deal-a-Neil · · Score: 4, Funny

    .. in other news tonight, fan blade manufacturer Oster has been bombed by the United States military. Oster, a subsidary of SunBeam, was not immediately available for comments; however, Donald Rumsfeld says that a special Halliburton deployment team will be sent to Boca Raton, FL to reconstruct the area, and get fan blade production back to peak efficiency.

  7. My suggestion is... by fyngyrz · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...instead of taking 3% of the farmland, we take 100% of the politician's land and leave the flipping farmers alone. I like corn and bread and stuff, but I can't recall a politician ever doing something I liked (well... other than retiring.)

    --
    I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
  8. Re:Like he said by eam · · Score: 3, Funny
    ...the amount of power being extracted from the atmosphere would be more than the increase in greenhouse gas atmospheric energy forcing since 1600.

    Now we can look forward to a day when our arrogant dependence on wind for our power leads to a catastrophic global cooling. Children coming home from school and reminding their parents to burn some coal for the environment.