Calculating Wind Power's Environmental Benefits

t's commonly believed that new wind power generation will displace coal and nanmtl gas-fueled power plants and thereby avoid all their associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as carbon dioxide ( C02), nitrous oxide (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (S02). The benefits of these avoided emissions have become a major factor in wind developers gaining public support for their plans to sire wind furms. These purported benefits also are the reason for the large subsidies governments have provided to oflser wind's higher power production costs. Unfortunardy, some ofrhese environmental claims are buik upon incorrect assumptions about how U.S. environmental regulations actually work and the type of generation a new wind project will displace. On any given power proje~"t, the benefits of avoided air emissions can be cakulared as the simple dilference between whether a design:ued project is built versus if the project is not built. TI1is simple rnkuladon has been incorrectly done by several rcncwabk project developers and their consultants. TI1eir mistakes have led them ro incorrectly claim large air emission benefits from building new wind fuciliries.