Wind farms harvest kinetic energy from the wind and turn it into electrical power. This energy is abundant in the United States and unlike coal, gas, oil and other forms of fuel, is free to harvest. A wind farm can also produce enough energy to prevent an area from having to build another, more polluting, electricity production plant. If the wind farm can successfully take the place of other energy suppliers, the other energy plant's pollution can be reduced, as it scales down production.
Wind farms do not break down fossil fuels or nuclear material to create energy, so there is no potential for pollution by this form of energy harvesting, as opposed to greenhouse gases or acid rain from oil, coal or gas, and nuclear waste from nuclear power plants. Another benefit is that wind farms do not require high security like nuclear power plants, as they are not likely to suffer a terrorist attack.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, wind farms produce one of the cheapest forms of renewable electricity and as the technology becomes more advanced, can rival fossil fuel electricity plants in price. If an area becomes more populated and requires more power, a wind farm can add capacity easily by putting up more wind turbines, which themselves are relatively quick and easy to install.
Wind energy is a domestic product and the United States can control its own wind energy production. This means that the country is not reliant on constant trade associations with other countries that sell oil or fossil fuels to supply essential energy needs. Fossil fuel prices fluctuate with the market but wind energy prices remain the same as the supply of wind is more stable than that of oil or gas, which means the consumer can expect their energy bills to remain stable.
The technology involved in wind farms utilizes the skills of engineers and technicians, all of which benefit from job creation with each new wind farm. Workers from fossil fuel industries may also be able to switch careers to wind farms if fossil fuel plants close down. The owners of the land where the wind farm is located also make money from renting out the land to the energy company, and this can help keep rural communities vibrant and thriving.
Wind farms use tall turbines to harvest the most wind. Therefore a farmer can use the land for both wind farms and for other forms of production. The height of the turbines mean that there is plenty of space under the turbines for cattle to graze or plants to grow. The wind farms can also make use of land that is unsuitable for other purposes.
Remote areas that need a power source can also build a wind farm in the locality to escape the need to build expensive energy pipelines to the area from a distant electricity plant.