Is it true that wind turbines will never generate enough energy to offset the manufacturing and transportation costs incurred in their production?
This is not true. Over the life cycle of a V117-4.2 MW wind power plant, it will return 50 times more energy back to society than it consumed. That means that when 1 kWh is invested in a wind energy solution, you get 50 kWh in return. For coal, however, if you invest 1kWh you typically get below 0.4 kWh in return, which means coal consumes more energy than they generate and supply to the grid and never amortize. For specific timeframes on Vestas wind turbine breakeven points, learn more here.
