Wind Clusters: Expanding the Market Appeal of Wind Energey Systems
John R. Dunlop
Over the past two decades, Americans have harvested wind energy through windfarms - large arrays of turbines operating as a single powerplant. By contrast, European wind development has featured small clusters of one to five turbines owned and operated by local residents. In the gusty Great Plans, site of an emerging windpower boom, the European model has sparked enthusiasm among developers and residents alike. Wind clusters involve communities in their own energy development, bolster local economies, reduce problematic visual impacts, and create relatively little strain on transmission and distribution systems.