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I’m not claiming that wind can generate baseload power, it can’t. But there is free energy in the wind that can obviously be harnessed. The harnessing isn’t free, but the energy is.

Yet, in order to deliver that "free" energy to you, you must also pay:

a. For the federal subsidy that makes wind energy economically feasible for those who invest in the wind farms.

b. A rate premium to the utility who delivers that that "free energy" to you, because they are forced to purchase a specific percentage of their total energy from that wind farm at a premium price.

c. Yet another rate premium for the back-up plant that the utility must build and have standing by in order to have an alternate energy source at hand for when the wind farm can't deliver its "free energy".

Q: How does all this make economic sense?

A: It doesn't.

Again, the energy in blowing wind is "free" (nobody owns it), harnessing it is not.

Utilities pay a contractual rate for wind energy, which should be included in the mix of their rate to consumers. Any premium above this for "green" energy is a marketing ploy by utilities which they simply pocket.

Utilities must have back up and reserve generation anyway, for peak demand periods and/or when other plants are taken offline for scheduled maintenance.