Worldwide
offshore
wind turbines
have a total
maximum
output of about
15,000 MW.
Virginia’s
green electric
power plan
is to build
5,000MW
of their own
(way) offshore
wind turbine
generating
capacity,
to be built
in the next
decade.
This would require
800 giant windmills
attached to
the ocean floor,
and huge blades
reaching several
hundred feet
above the ocean.
This adds up to a
very bad proposal,
for the three
specific reasons
(plus the unreliable
output of onshore
and offshore
wind energy,
in general).
(1)
THE DISTANT LOCATION
The site is about 30 miles
out from the huge Norfolk
naval complex.
Unusually far out
for offshore wind
turbines.
That distant location
would be required
to avoid shipping lanes
for every ship from
Central and South
America that is
headed for ports
from Baltimore
to Canada.
And the Norfolk
US Navy ships.
(2)
THE LOW WIND PROBLEM
This area frequently gets
days when he wind is 10mph
or less -- too low to generate
any power.
Most wind turbines
require 33 mph or more
to generate full power.
Some new models
with giant blades
generate full power
at just 23 mph.
Norfolk had a low wind
period from
August 17-23, 2019,
with the wind under
10 mph for seven
consecutive days.
These low wind periods
are in the summer
and often include
high temperatures.
High temperatures
create peak
electricity demand
in the summer.
Peak demand
plus no wind power
means 5,000 MW
of useless offshore
wind power !
Yet the Virginia plan
does not include reliable
fossil fuel back-up power.
Week long low wind
periods happen
about once every
few years in the
Norfolk area
-- sometimes
more than once
in a hot summer.
There are also many
shorter periods
of low wind
during summers.
(3)
THE HIGH WIND PROBLEM
Hurricanes !
Many storms turn north
in the Caribbean and
move up the U.S. coast.
Southern Virginia
sticks out into this
common hurricane
path.
Most offshore wind towers
have been built in Europe
where there are no hurricanes.
The US Energy Department
has a new new research
program to decide if
a hurricane proof design
is even possible.
Hundreds of Virginia
towers will have to be
much stronger than
European designs.
The standard cost
is around $1.5 million
per MW (costing
about $7.5 billion
for Virginia's
5000MW).
Hurricane
proofing
could easily
double the cost
to $15 billion.
And that may NOT
be able to withstand
a Category five hurricane,
with sustained winds
over 156 mph, with gusts
that can exceed 200 mph.
Putting $15 billion
at risk of destruction.