Argonne National Laboratory which is just down the road from Moraine Valley just released a study on wind energy in Illinois (System-Wide Emissions Implications of Increased Wind Power Penetration). The found:
- wind energy is having positive impact,
- the saving in cost and CO2 emissions is sometimes greater than expected.
Overall, the results were positive. But, the study some problems that need to be addressed by the state. They found
- the largest waste comes from powering up old power-plants to compensate for times of low wind,
- the strongest wind occurs at night when demand is low