The International
Energy Agency (IEA)
now claims that
“renewable,
sustainable”
energy output
will explode
over the next
two decades,
especially growth
of offshore
wind energy.
But offshore wind energy,
in fact, is the worst possible,
most expensive possible,
source of renewable energy.
“Offshore wind currently
provides just 0.3% of
global power generation,”
IEA executive director
Fatih Birol noted.
“Wind farms” closer than
37 miles from coastlines
around the world,
where the waters are
less than 60 meters
( 197 feet )
deep, could generate
36,000 terawatt-hours
( 36 million gigawatt-hours
or 36 billion megawatt-hours )
of electricity a year,
Birol claims.
That’s above the current
global demand of 23,000
terawatt hours, says Birol,
and a new IEA report.
IEA predicts in 20 years,
the offshore wind industry
will be 15 times bigger
than now,
and will attract
$1 trillion a year
in investments.
Massive offshore electricity
"factories", with turbines and
blades towering 500-700 feet
above the waves ?
A single 1.8-MW onshore
wind turbine requires
over 1,000 tons of steel,
copper, aluminum, rare earth
elements, zinc, molybdenum,
petroleum-based composites,
reinforced concrete
and other raw materials.
A 3-MW version requires
1,550 tons of these
non-renewable materials.
Replacing the USA’s current
electricity generation,
including replacing all
gas and diesel vehicles with
with 100% electric vehicles,
would require 14 million
1.8-MW onshore turbines.
Covering 1.8 billion acres.
Built with 15 billion tons
of raw materials, coming from
thousands of new / expanded
mineral mines worldwide,
Thousands of fossil
fuel-powered factories
in various (I assume)
foreign countries would
have to manufacture
all this equipment.
Installing and maintaining
36 billion megawatt-hours
of offshore wind turbines,
in up to 200 feet of water,
many on huge floating
platforms, that are strong
enough to support
600-foot-tall turbines in
storms and hurricanes.
In fact, offshore
turbine facilities
actually generate
much less electricity
than previously
claimed !
Because every turbine
catching the wind,
slows the wind speeds for
every other nearby turbine.
Seagoing birds will get
slaughtered and
left to sink in the ocean,
uncounted, beneath
the waves.
There would be thousands
of miles of underwater
cables bringing electricity
to onshore transmission lines.
Fixed and floating turbines,
and underseas cables,
will interfere with surface
ship traffic, and underwater
submarine and traffic.
Constant vibration will
disrupt whale and other
marine mammals’
sonar navigation systems.
And significant
visual pollution.
Wind turbine
electricity output
is often 20%
of capacity,
or lower.
During the July 2006
California heat wave,
wind turbines generated
only 5% of nameplate capacity.
In Texas, wind capacity factors
are generally 9% to 12%,
during hot summer months.
Wind turbine electricity output
declines by 16% per decade
of operation onshore.
Even worse offshore, because
of storms and salt spray.
Removing obsolete, worn out
offshore turbines, requires
huge derrick barges, and
near-perfect weather.
Concrete bases and electrical
cables, must be removed,
and seabeds returned
to their original condition,
as is required today for
offshore oil and gas
operations.
Cutting up 300-foot
(or taller) towers and
200-foot (or longer) blades,
from offshore turbines,
and hauling the sections
to onshore scrap yards,
is a big deal.
Recycling blades made from
fiberglass, carbon fibers
and petroleum resins,
is difficult, maybe impossible,
Burning blades would release
hazardous dust and toxic gases,
so that would be prohibited.
Dismantling and disposal costs
would be huge, unless governments
allow companies to abandon
huge wind turbines, as has been
done with smaller turbines
in Hawaii and California.
People living on the coasts
will fight offshore wind farms
proposd "in their backyards".
People living on the coasts
generally have a lot of money
to fight offshore turbines in court !
A Massachusetts wind project,
for 170 offshore wind turbines,
was originally proposed in 2001.
It’s now down to 130 huge
3.6-MW turbines, but the
US Interior Department
is still delaying permits,
pending “further study.”
Now that the Obama's
bought a huge oceanside
home in the area,
it will never happen !
home in the area,
it will never happen !