At a time when the wind industry is facing significant pressure to justify federal tax incentives and state renewable portfolio standards, it’s imperative to fully understand the local, regional, and national economic benefits of wind activity expansion in the United States. Speaking at the American Wind Energy Association’s WINDPOWER 2014 conference, Carl Linvill highlighted the capabilities of wind, as well as the value of wind as a vehicle for addressing operational challenges in a diversified portfolio. He recommends structuring markets and procurement criteria according to the “net load” required after variable renewable energy sources serve a portion of the load. By aligning resources and load, utilities can utilize existing technologies to enable greater renewable integration and, specifically, secure the benefits of wind as a low-cost, low-risk resource. In turn, this modification of load profile also increases system reliability and reduces capital and fuel costs.