[biblewonk]

If that were true, the government wouldn't be subsidizing it with large tax credits. Nor is it competitive with base load power plants because it is intermittent in nature. It can never be more than a niche source because it cannot serve base loads without batteries/pumped storage or other things that make it even more expensive. Eventually, perhaps, there will be a hydrogen-based economy in which it can be converted to hydrogen, but that is decades or centuries away given huge, untapped petro sources.

How do you define a niche source? By that I mean, what percent of the national power consumption must windpower be able to provide to not be considered a niche source. By the wording you use I believe you are describing the little toys the people use to power their houses to get "off grid". I'm speaking of utility scale wind farms with 50-90 meter windmills.

What do you mean by "ptc"?

Production Tax Credit.

[Iconoclast2]

By niche source I mean less than 5% of the generating capacity. I used the term windmill loosely. I am, in fact, professionally involved with large scale wind farms, which I regard as generally wasting taxpayer funds.