Taipei, March 17 (CNA) It takes time for the public to understand and accept wind energy technology, which can be costly at first, a group of renewable energy experts visiting from the U.K. said Friday in an interview.
Due to its availability and relatively low cost, wind energy has become the world's fastest growing renewable energy technology in recent years. However, it takes time for people to accept it, said Robert Rawlingson-Smith, Chief Turbine Designer of Garrad Hassan, a leading British wind energy consulting company.
Land use is among the most questionable topics in wind energy, since wind farms -- a collection of wind turbines in the same location used for generating electricity -- are said to be noisy, take up a lot of space and exploit the environment.
"Initially people do have suspicions. But you can utilize the area for agriculture and tourism. I found out that the best way [to pursuade people] is to take them to a wind farm," said Rawlingson-Smith.
Most people who possess doubts about the energy source fall in love with the aesthetic wind turbines after visiting a wind farm, he noted.
Any new technology in its initial stages of development is also more expensive. The cost of wind energy is currently more expensive than conventional energy, he said.
"But it [wind energy] will not be affected by fluctuations in oil prices, which means you're not at the mercy of oil prices. You will have the certainty of cost and the certainty of supply, " Rawlingson-Smith said.
Citing a program in Austin, Texas, Rawlingson-Smith said consumers initially paid more money for wind energy but ended up paying lower energy bills than those who used conventional sources of nonrenewable energy after the surge in fuel prices last year.