Wind Energy Charges Ahead

"When electricity generated by wind energy first came into use in the early 1980s, it cost up to 38 cents per kilowatt-hour." Now costs have come down to the 5- to 6-cent [per kilowatt-hour] range. "This huge drop is due to a number of factors, say energy experts.'Costs are going down, natural gas prices are going up, the technology has improved, and consumers are becoming more interested in clean energy... Wind experts call the United States "the Saudi Arabia of wind" because of its vast potential, particularly across the plains of the Midwest. Federal studies estimate that the United States could potentially derive 10 to 20 percent of its electricity supply through wind farms."