- Another popular renewable energy source has been Wind Turbines. Large onshore and offshore wind farms have been scaled up to significant energy levels.
- Unit costs have dropped over 90% in the past decade making this particularly attractive. •Wind turbines from tens of kilowatts up to 20 megawatts are being used all over the world. The largest wind turbines are currently located in offshore wind farms due to challenges of transportation and installation being easier offshore.
- Wind is an intermittent energy source however, so a resilient energy mix should contain other renewables as well as large scale energy storage systems.
- Equatorial locations are challenged with low wind speed (e.g. “Doldrums”). Coastal, offshore, and high latitude locations have much better wind energy. Extreme wind speeds have posed challenges, but new models are being developed to improve resistance to extreme wind speeds which should expand the potential locations.