In efforts to supplement fossil fuels, renewable energy—geothermal, wind, and solar—has been the chief beneficiary in much of the world. Most bets for renewable power focus on wind.  But two major constraints still prevent wind from achieving the means of substantially reducing the combustion of coal.  The first is financial: wind, like most renewable energy technologies, thrives in part because consumers are generally not exposed to its full costs. Where wind is expanding most rapidly, it relies on large public subsidies. Yet wind generators happily sell their product at a loss thanks to the generous subsidies. Subsidies were originally intended to help wind (and other technologies) gain a foothold in the market, but the industry is still not viable without them. As wind installations grow, so will the cost and visibility of these subsidies, raising questions about their political sustainability.

[source:  bostonreview.net]