Electric and natural gas prices and concerns are linked. Over the past 14 years, an unprecedented 350%+ surge in natural gas usage to produce electricity has contributed to rising natural gas and electricity prices. [1] Farmers feel the pain for another reason because natural gas accounts for 90 percent of fertilizer costs.[2]

If we continue on our current path, the Energy Information Administration projects U.S. imports of liquefied natural gas will increase nearly ten times over today's levels by 2025, further exacerbating US energy price and balance of payments deficit problems. [3]

Adopting nationally the Renewable Portfolio Standard goal set in California to balance energy production with 20 percent of electricity coming from the wind and renewables by 2020, we will save families and businesses more than $35 billion on their electricity bills through 2020 and another $14 billion in lower natural gas bills. [4]

This is so because the price of wind power from large (utility scale) windmills (of the 750,000 megawatt or more variety) has been reduced by more than 80% in the last 20 years. 

UTILITY SCALE WINDMILLS

In excellent wind areas (class 6 and 7), power generated from modern utility scale windmills now is cheaper than power generated from modern coal plants. This is true partially because (other than to make the windmills) there are no pollution control or fuel costs in wind energy generation. The cost of wholesale utility scale windpower will continue to decrease and should be in the 3 cents per kilowatt hour range by 2008 in class 6 and 7 wind areas and 4 cents per kilowatt hour in class 4 and 5 wind areas.

This 20 percent of electricity coming from the wind and renewables by 2020 goal is reachable. Denmark has already achieved it. Twenty-five percent of Denmark's electricity comes from windmills. And in Denmark, 80% of the turbines are individually or cooperatively owned. In Germany, which has the largest amount of installed wind generating capacity in the world, 75% of the wind projects are community owned by more than 100,000 individuals. [5]

If we do not produce 21 percent of our electricity from the wind by 2020, our kids will pay $7.3 billion too much for power -- $2 billion too much for electricity and $5.3 billion too much for natural gas.[6]

For information on small scale wind prices click here.