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Wind and the cost of electricity Thursday, March 06, 2008
...All of this means wind power will compete with conventional sources on a wholesale level and will always lower the market cost of generated electricity to the end customer. Indeed, the savings resulting from this displacement would accrue to electric customers, and are estimated by the Massachusetts Energy Facility Siting Board to be $25 million per year for New England customers. While the price of electricity and its long term stability is important to many, perhaps the most significant consideration regarding the wind farm is the impact on our nation's energy independence and global warming.
This first offshore project will replace electricity from fossil-fueled power plants, avoiding the consumption of some 100 million gallons of oil, equivalent to 20 Bouchard barges like the one that ran aground in Buzzards Bay or five liquefied natural gas tankers like the one disabled off Chatham, all delivering fuel to generate electricity. Likewise, it will avoid the emission of about a million tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to taking 175,000 cars off the road each year. These are the real savings.