BINGHAM COUNTY - Adding wind farms in Bingham County is a hot topic lately. One of the arguments for wind power is that it will save us money. So I set out to see if wind and other renewable energies are as effective as proponents claim. I went to the experts and students who are doing some real homework to find out. With their help, I discovered that renewable energy could, not only save us money, but could also reduce harm to the planet, but there are lots of factors you have to take into account.

The winds of change are turning in Eastern Idaho and it seems everyone is looking for ways to reduce our addiction to oil, take care of the planet, make a little money and save some too. Alternative Energy Expert Gary Seifert from the INL explains. "Alternative energy available in Idaho include, of course the wind which we're standing in right now. But solar is a viable alternative because we have a lot of sunny days here. Another source of energy that's used quite extensively in Idaho is geothermal."

In the past few months there have been two wind farm proposals in Bingham County. And although they haven't gone through as easily as some people had hoped, It is a sign that as a community we are looking for viable alternative energy.

"This ridge has a very high capacity factor and capacity factor tells you how much of the capacity of the turbine behind me you get to use everyday."

But some argue, why use the wind and then ship the energy to somewhere else? Gary Seifert explains why we have no control over electrons. "The grid is a very large grid and the electrons go where the electrons are gonna go. They just follow the wires to where ever somebody plugs in their hair dryer. Once that electron goes into the grid into the grid it's displacing electrons that just happened to be made somewhere else. If I put electrons in the grid, they help our region."


So I wanted to take a look at the economics. "The economics are really two ways. The owner of the wind farm has his own economics cause he has to pay his mortgage and that three million he put in a turbine like this, he has to pay for that by selling the power back to the grid. But there's also the economics for the county and for the land owners. A landowner typically makes between 3 and 4 thousand for a turbine this size every year for 20 years and what he gives up is one acre out of 80 acres typically to do that."

The students and teachers at Skyline high school set out to do the research this past year. Teacher Kris Smith explains, "This is a small wind turbine and it saves the district $15 a month, but it's mainly for educational use."

Wind energy is not the only viable alternative for us. We could put the sun to some good use as well. As a matter of fact Pocatello Community Charter School already is and Skyline is on the verge of putting a panel in too. "So we're gonna have data from a solar installation and a wind installation that students can look at."

And Eastern Idaho and Western Wyoming is literally a hot bed with all the Geo thermal activity our region offers. So let's compare. "Wind Power is right now the most competitive renewable energy we have in the U.S. Right now."

But how does that help you every time you turn the light on in your home... The cost of fossil fuel and the age of the plant are key factors in how much electricity is going to cost you. Take a look at these levelized production costs for electricity at a plant built by 2016. This information is from US Energy Information Administration and Forbes estimates.

Coal is 6.2 cents a kilowatt hour, natural gas 6.8, nuclear 6.3 ...Biomass 8.1... Wind Energy is 6.2 ... Geothermal cost 7.4 and Solar is 28.9 cents per kilowatt hour.

Some of these sources could save us in Carbon Dioxide too.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, A 2007report found, the clean generation provided by wind prevented the emissions of approximately 28 million tons of carbon dioxide.

And here's a little more information on how much we could save. .An Analysis from consulting firm Wood Mackenzie found that providing 15% electricity from renewable energy resources by 2020 could lower consumer expenditures by nearly $100 billion, reducing both natural gas prices and electricity prices.