‘This is a wonderful book that should be on the desk of every architect and planner. It shows how

Does wind variability increase the costs of a utility system?
Variability affects the operations of other energy facilities in a system. When these costs 
are distributed across consumers, however, increases are negligible. Some weak distri
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bution grids could require upgrades, but the amount of wind energy could be limited to 
the grid’s existing capacity. Arguably, the costs of modernization are inevitable anyway, 
unless we shift to self-sufficient housing. Moreover, integrating wind power into an 
electric power system could reduce total costs to consumers.
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In other words, losses 
from coping with fluctuations will be small compared to overall savings.
Can rural wind power cooperatives compete with big providers?
There are cases where farmers have formed cooperatives to build and own wind power 
plants.
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The success of these independent ventures depends on access to the grid, 
tax credits, regulations and the like. Small wind plants cost more per megawatt than 
larger ones but, again, when distributed across all customers, the premium is negligible.
There is a clear trend towards willingness to pay more for energy independence and 
for other benefits to the local community such as the increased employment and tax 
base that would follow. 

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Does wind power need back up with conventional sources?
All electricity sources are subject to outages or need for repairs. Most utility systems 
are interconnected to backup sources and fluctuations in supply, so reliability is not 
an issue. The dispersed generation from building integrated systems would reduce 
the load on the distribution network. So, in most cases, additional backup would not 
be needed. Typical wind generators produce electricity about 80 per cent of the time.
Energy storage systems for wind and solar power (eg graphite) would be easier to 
develop than, say, nuclear storage, but they have received relatively little funding.
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