Are wind turbines feasible

Answer 1

Yes, wind turbines are very feasible.

There are approximately 165,000 wind turbines generating electricity world-wide. The wind industry world-wide is expected to have more generating capacity in 2015 or 2016 than the nuclear industry.

Wind turbines last 20-25 years, and while they have high up-front costs they typically pay for themselves in 2-4 years, generating profits for the remainder of the time. As fuel costs are zero and maintenance requirements are lower than for fossil-fuel generating plants, they can be a very profitable investment.

Wind energy in the best locations is currently coming in at 5-6 cents US per kilowatt hour. In a December 2011 energy auction in Brazil -- an auction where companies bid to build generating capacity -- wind farms won just under a gigawatt of the 1.2 gigawatts requested, with 39 out of the 42 winning bids. This is particularly relevant as the Brazilian auction was a completely level playing field; wind generation receives no subsidies of any kind in Brazil.