March 8, 2011 | 1:03 PM | By

Wind 1: the question of finances

FILED UNDER: Mitigation, The Falmouth Experience, wind energy

flickr/AComment

Several commenters have raised the issue of finances. The math goes like this:

$5,000000 owed ÷ $375,000 annual savings = 13 1/3 years to break-even

That assumes no interest on the loan, no maintenance or repair costs, and no change in energy prices – all rather unrealistic. Sean has contacted Falmouth town officials for more information on their financial projections. So stay tuned.

  • NoFreeWind

    The Net Metering law forces utilities to connect small projects like the Mass Maritime (MMA), Falmouth Waste Water, and others to the grid. This process adds to the operating cost of the utility which is passed on to its other clients.

    Net Metering mandates that utilities not only supply supporting power to balance the variability of wind turbines, but must also purchase at list prices any excess energy produced by the turbine. This is the only power utilities buy at list price whether they need it or not.

    In effect the law forces utilities to act like storage batteries to serve these projects free of charge.

    Yes! The owners save money with these project, but the rest us pay for them in our bills, more than likely hidden in the “Generation Charge”.