Nothing Blowing in the U.S. Wind Energy Sector

[ScienceRocks]

Nothing Blowing in the U.S. Wind Energy Sector

Posted: 02/ 9/2012 12:10 pm


Daniel J. Graeber: Nothing Blowing in the U.S. Wind Energy Sector
The U.S. government said it was finally ready to open up areas off the mid-Atlantic Coast for the development of offshore wind farms. The government said it conducted an assessment of the region and found there wouldn't be any environmental or socioeconomic problems with moving ahead with offshore wind. It's about time. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory found offshore wind energy has the potential to supply four-times as much energy as the entire grid produced in 2009. President Obama last year announced major renewable energy targets and this year called for an "all-of-the-above" energy policy. But with European efforts already way ahead of the curve, the United States is losing the clean energy race.

The NREL said it considers offshore wind a good energy choice for the United States. There is the potential to generate as much as 4,150 gigawatts of electricity from offshore wind and the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said it was finally ready to vet proposals for wind energy leases for the Outer Continental Shelf off the mid-Atlantic. While the NREL said its figures didn't include cost or transmission availability, the offshore wind estimate is 3,125 GW more than the entire U.S. electric generating capacity in 2009.

Impressive, right? Sure, unless one compares those figures with the offshore wind sector in France, a country about the size of Texas. France has the second-best wind energy regime in all of Europe and already enough offshore wind installed to meet some of its energy demand. This year, London cackled with glee about the untapped oil reserves left in the North Sea, yet the United Kingdom, a country that's about the size of Oregon, is already the world leader in installed offshore wind capacity. How much offshore wind energy is installed in the United States? None.

The U.S. Energy Department said offshore wind was an attractive power source but noted offshore wind turbines are expensive and require a lot of maintenance. Conservative groups like Americans for Prosperity complain wind farms off the New Jersey coast would cost jobs, increase consumer electric bills and wind up costing New Jersey taxpayers about $100 million. The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, meanwhile, complains wind farms planned four miles off the Massachusetts coast would spoil the view. You know what was seen in the background during last year's British Open at the Royal St. Georges Golf Club in Ireland? Three nuclear cooling towers. And nobody complained.

Authorities at the U.S. Interior Department said they were examining "sweet spots" off the mid-Atlantic Coast for offshore wind development. Obama during the 2011 State of the Union address set a target of generating 80 percent of the country's electricity through clean energy resources like wind by 2035. This year, he called for an "all-of-the-above" policy for domestic energy. Democracy is a great thing in that it allows everyone a voice but loud doesn't mean influential. The United States is losing the green energy race, which means a continued reliance on carbon-based natural resources, in part because some folks are upset about the view.

Daniel Graeber is a senior journalist at the energy news site Oilprice.com. He is a writer and political analyst based in Michigan. More of his articles can be found on his Authors page at Oilprice.com

 

[Old Rocks]

For this small rural county, wind seems to be a real boon. Perhaps lack of vision is the problem on the East Coast.

Wind blows money into pockets of Sherman County residents | OregonLive.com

GRASS VALLEY -- Every household in windswept Sherman County will soon get a Christmas gift in the mail: a $590 check.

The lonesome 831-square-mile county may lay to rest the adage about an "ill wind blowing nobody any good." This is the third consecutive year that checks will go out for the people's share of annual wind-energy revenues.

No other Oregon county makes similar payments and the $416,540 cash outlay may be unprecedented in the United States, says John Audley, spokesman for Renewable Northwest Project. His Portland-based coalition of companies and groups promotes renewable energy.

The checks are loosely modeled after dividend payments to Alaskans for oil gurgling through the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline. The county also gives its four tiny towns -- Wasco, Moro, Rufus and Grass Valley -- annual checks of $100,000 each.



2011 wind payments

Wind companies will pay Sherman County about $9 million this year in wind turbine revenues in lieu of property taxes. The companies pay another $3.3 million to about 35 wheat farmers who have turbines on their land, an average of $6,000 per turbine.

The county will pay out $100,000 each to its four towns and $416,540 to residents ($590 to 706 households). That's a drop from $426,570 last year, when 723 households received payments.

Also: The county uses some of the money for capital improvements.
Roughly 550 wind turbines rearing 300-plus feet into the breezy high desert sky have brought dramatic changes here. Twelve wind farms are now on line, producing 1,000 megawatts of alternative energy -- enough to power 100,000 homes -- and providing the county government with $9 million annual revenues.

Under the county's agreement with the wind companies, the payments will continue until 2025.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Offshore wind "farms" I'm starting to think would be a very good idea. Our planet is covered by 71 percent Ocean and the winds are much more sustain in nature over them. We in the United states could easily put 25% of our energy needs on them! Not saying more, but theres no reason why we shouldn't.

The main energy can still come from hydro, nuclear, etc. But this could help ease the need for middle east fuel.

London Array - Harnessing the power of offshore wind
Thanet offshore wind farm - Vattenfall UK

UPDATE 1-New 367 MW offshore wind farm opens in UK | Reuters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walney_Wind_Farm

To supply 320,000 homes with renewable energy a year

* UK plans to raise offshore capacity to 18 GW by 2020

Feb 9 (Reuters) - A new 367 megawatt offshore wind farm opened off the Cumbrian coast in Britain on Thursday and will supply up to 320,000 households with renewable power a year, the companies behind the project said.

The 1 billion pound ($1.58 billion) Walney wind farm is a joint venture between utilities DONG Energy, SSE and OPW, a consortium of the Dutch pension fund service provider PGGM and Ampere Equity Fund.

The companies claim Walney is the world's biggest offshore windfarm, with 102 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 3.6 MW.

Offshore wind power - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_offshore_wind_farms

Believe me, I want nuclear, but to NOT to advantage of the wind over our oceans wouldn't be wise. What I want is the United states on firm ground energy wise! Lastly, who cares if you can't see the wind turbines? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_wind_turbine

 

[ScienceRocks]

Not only would it be far offshore, but BIG! REVE - Regulacin Elica con Vehculos Elctricos -
/[/url]

The United states has 46 Gw of wind energy as of 2011. How much power is that? Well, over 2 three Georges(china) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam

368 TW-hour (energy) in 7 years.
there are 61000 hours in 7 year
368 TW-hour / 61000 hours = 6 GW of power

Average US home uses 1.2 kW of power

6 GW / 1.2 kW = 5 million homes

times 2=10 million+ homes from wind as of 2011.

The biggest dam in the united states, Grand Coulee has 6,800 gw! You could fit over 6.5 of these dams to meet the production of energy of wind within the US.

 

[ScienceRocks]

I'm for all energy...The more the better as far as I'm concern! Nuclear, coal, natural gas, oil, wind, solar, etc. I say build them all!!!

 

[KissMy]

Wind almost never generates power when you need it & only makes power when you don't. Wind energy production is completely out of phase with demand. Texas Wind Energy Fails, Again At 10% installed wind-generation capacity Texas wind capacity is way over built & spilling off power. Likely 7% is all the useful wind capacity we can achieve & it comes at a high price since you still have to build the same amount of Coal & Natural Gas capacity as you would without wind.

 

[waltky]

England lookin' into wind farm environmental impact...

Wind farm impact on Jurassic Coast to be examined, firm pledges
15 December 2012 - The developer behind a planned offshore wind farm on the south coast of England says it will look to see how it can "mitigate" the concerns of campaigners.

Questions have been raised about the impact on the view and cultural significance of its location. It will be off a stretch of coastline known as the Jurassic Coast. Navitus Bay Development has revised its plans - the farm will be smaller and further out - but local MP Richard Drax said they were still not sufficient. The coastline is one of just eight in the world to be awarded World Heritage Site (WHS) status by Unesco, and concerns have been raised over whether the title would be revoked if the wind farm goes ahead. The site currently attracts 16m tourists a year to the area, according to its official website. The 95 mile (152km) long Jurassic Coast gets its name because some 175 million years of geology are visible in its rocks.

218 turbines

In an interview with the BBC, Navitus Bay Development director Mike Unsworth said "regular discussions" had taken place with the local WHS steering group about maintaining the coastline's status. "The feedback we've had is that the designation is for its natural geology," he said. "They've said it's unlikely that [the WHS] designation will be impacted by the development. But what they have also said is the setting of the WHS - in terms of how you view it or what you view from - is a concern to them. We continue to look at how we can mitigate that." Following various criticisms, the developers now propose that the wind farm, known as Navitus Bay, should only have 218 turbines no more than 200m (600ft) high. The firm's original plans were for 335 turbines up to 210m high. Mr Unsworth said the site would now also be 3km (1.8 miles) further away from Bournemouth than previously planned, in order to minimise its visual impact. The new proposals will be put back out to public consultation in 2013.

'Too close'

Mr Drax, Conservative MP for south Dorset, said there were still problems with the revised plans. "The key problem, I think... is the fact it's so close to the coastline," he said. "The recommendation from the EU is about 23km (14 miles). This will now be about 14km (9 miles) - it's just too close. Despite the fact there will be less of them we are still going to see these vast structures off one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world." But Mr Unsworth said: "What I said to Richard [Drax] was, come to the next round of consultations, have a look at the new photo montages, take a view at that point and then provide us with fresh feedback."

Meanwhile, the Corporation of Trinity House, which looks after sea farers, had advised that the farm could affect a popular navigational channel. The navigational channel is by a lighthouse called Hurst Point which is used by local boats and fishermen, said Trinity House. In response, Mr Unsworth said: "We have moved the northern boundary further south which provided greater navigational safety for recreational sea users." The Navitus Bay project is a partnership between energy firms Eneco Wind (UK) and EDF. The construction of the wind farm could create 1,000 jobs and bring £100m to the local economy, the developers claim.

Source