Anyone mind explaining this one to me? The wind still blows relatively the same. The land still costs the same. The towers are still tall poles with blades attached. The generators are still generators. Where are the saving coming from? I don't ask this question from the point of view of a skeptic, but rather an uninformed pleb."The thing that makes this one different is that wind keeps getting cheaper and cheaper in price," he said. "Every year that we move along the economics look more favorable."
I think it's all about growing consumer confidence in this as a viable system. Part of it is investment. As renewables continue to gain a foot hold on emerging markets, they become less risky and investor confidence increases. This makes building these things cheaper because money to build them is easier to find. I think the technology - manufacturing and maintenance - is also improving. Yes, the generators are still generators, but they are becoming more efficient. And more companies are producing windmills which creates a competitive market that drives prices down while businesses come online like trades and repairmen that help keep the whole system buoyant.