How Wind Can Help Us Breathe Easier
Impact of Air Pollutants on Public Health
During combustion for fossil-fueled electricity generation, other air pollutants—including nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) —are also released into the atmosphere. These gases often react to form particulate matter, smog, ground-level ozone, and acid rain. In turn, these resulting pollutants can cause adverse health effects, including asthma, bronchitis, lower and upper respiratory symptoms, and heart attacks. Air pollution is responsible for a large number of premature deaths relating to these illnesses.
Costs vs. Benefits of Wind Energy
Wind energy reduces emissions of harmful greenhouse gases and air pollutants, but how do these benefits compare to the cost of producing wind energy? Researchers from DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory reported on this issue in the Land-Based Wind Market Report: 2024 Edition.
The health and environmental benefits of wind were impressive in 2023—with environmental and health benefits together contributing on average $162/MWh. When combined with the $21/MWh grid-system value of wind energy—that is, the value of the services wind energy provided to the grid, calculated based on market prices where and when wind energy was generated—the total value of wind energy is $183/MWh. The national average environmental, health, and grid-system value sums to three times the average LCOE of wind plants that came online in 2023. This value is the average, unsubsidized levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of $49/MWh for U.S. plants installed in 2023. [LCOE is the average cost of electricity generation for a plant over its lifetime.]