STUDY ON THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING WIND ENERGY IN THE WESTERN REGION OF ROMANIA

Purpose: This paper presents an overview of the main costs and benefits of the implementation of wind energy in the Western Region of Romania. Various studies are available in the literature on the costs and benefits of wind energy, but our paper is focused on the relationship between the main costs and benefits of wind energy and the perceptions of professionals who activate in the energy field about the advantages and disadvantages of using this alternative source of energy in the Western Region of Romania. The aim of the research was to investigate whether the benefits of implementation exceed costs and if professionals who activate in this field are aware of the importance of green energy and especially wind energy. Design/methodology/approach: In order to accomplish this research, we carried out in a quantitative approach, assuming measurement of respondents' perception, so the research paradigm is positivist-functionalistic. The answers of the questions are analyzed with the Likert scale with 5 levels of appreciation, from 1-5, as follows: 1 = in very little measure, 2 = in little measure, 3 = in average measure, 4 = in large measure, and 5 = in very large measure, which will show us the perception of the respondents about the benefits and costs of implementing wind energy, being able to determine the cost - benefit ratio. Research/practical implications: Following the study, there is an awareness of the importance of using regenerative sources and supporting the costs of developing wind farms. The reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions and the use of regenerative sources contributes to the achievement of the 20/20/20 European objective. Originality/value: Presented paper contributes to the knowledge of the costs and benefits of wind energy farms in the Western Region of Romania.