Do wind turbines in Colorado consume more energy than they make?

A single wind turbine creates enough clean energy to offset its lifetime carbon emissions, including the energy spent on building it, in less than a year, studies show.

Most wind turbines have a lifespan of 20-25 years. Researchers calculate their carbon footprint-to-energy production ratio by determining the total amount of carbon and other fossil fuels required to manufacture, transport, maintain and dispose of a single wind turbine and dividing that sum by the turbine’s lifetime energy production. That comes to roughly 4.9 grams of CO2-equivalent emissions per kilowatt-hour for wind turbines. By contrast, natural gas produces at least 437 grams of emissions per kilowatt-hour, and coal generates at least 675 grams per kilowatt-hour.

Colorado ranks seventh among states for installed wind energy with at least 2,250 wind turbines, which produced nearly 20% of the state’s electricity in 2020.