Socioeconomic Aspects of a Value Analysis of Wind Energy—Illustrated for the Netherlands

Abstract

Abstract This paper discusses the socioeconomic aspects of a value analysis of wind energy as a resource for electricity generation. Just like an evaluation on a business level, a socioeconomic evaluation has to proceed according to the principle of keeping production and delivery costs of electricity to a minimum and of maintaining generation with high reliability. The socioeconomic evaluation is, however, much more complex than in the case of private enterprise. First, the notion of costs needs to be more broadly defined. Pollution, dependence of the national energy supply, and availability or scarcity of resources are the key issues that have to be taken into account. Empirical data for the Netherlands are used to describe the complex issue. The results indicate that large-scale wind turbines are likely to become a contributing factor for future electricity generation.