GE Guts Offshore Wind-Power Plans

[ScienceRocks]

GE Guts Offshore Wind-Power Plans
Forbes ^ | 9/10/2011 @ 2:44AM | William Pentland


General Electric, the U.S.-based industrial giant and leading manufacturer of wind-power turbines, is scaling back efforts to expand its presence in the offshore wind power market.

The rationale: there is no meaningful offshore wind market to speak of – at least not yet.

Given slower-than-expected industry growth, the offshore market may not mature as rapidly as many wind boosters once believed.



The 4.1-113 four MW direct-drive offshore turbine developed by GE in Norway performs very well in shallow waters, but leaves a lot to be desired in deeper waters. As a result, GE has shifted its focus in the deep-water space to developing a 10-15 MW turbine using superconducting magnets, which has received addition funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Despite GE’s strategic shift, plans to deploy the first 4.1 MW prototype in Gothenberg harbor later this year are still on track.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
GE Guts Offshore Wind-Power Plans - Forbes

 

[zonly1]

GE Guts Offshore Wind-Power Plans
Forbes ^ | 9/10/2011 @ 2:44AM | William Pentland


General Electric, the U.S.-based industrial giant and leading manufacturer of wind-power turbines, is scaling back efforts to expand its presence in the offshore wind power market.

The rationale: there is no meaningful offshore wind market to speak of – at least not yet.

Given slower-than-expected industry growth, the offshore market may not mature as rapidly as many wind boosters once believed.



The 4.1-113 four MW direct-drive offshore turbine developed by GE in Norway performs very well in shallow waters, but leaves a lot to be desired in deeper waters. As a result, GE has shifted its focus in the deep-water space to developing a 10-15 MW turbine using superconducting magnets, which has received addition funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Despite GE’s strategic shift, plans to deploy the first 4.1 MW prototype in Gothenberg harbor later this year are still on track.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
GE Guts Offshore Wind-Power Plans - Forbes

Yeah subsidized so that the taxpayers can foot the bill. Is this going be in China? If so why isn't the messiah jimmeh carter redux come out and condone it(yeah made in America..job speech anybody)?

This is another touchy feely liberal solution that gov't doesn't create deman: cash for clungers, census worker jobs...bankrupt solar panel companies.
Unintended consequences ..priceless.

wind energy is an eye sore and not a reliable on demand 24/7 power source

 

[Old Rocks]

You mean the government doesn't subsudize coal, natural gas, and oil. And then there is nuclear.

We need additional power. Simple fact. We don't need additional GHGs, nor more lead and mercury in the bodies of our children. Wind, geothermal, solar, and many of the other non polluting sources are the way to go for the future.

But most of all, we need a distributed grid. The present grid is far to fragile, and not designed to pick up the many sources of power available.

 

[zonly1]

You mean the government doesn't subsudize coal, natural gas, and oil. And then there is nuclear.

We need additional power. Simple fact. We don't need additional GHGs, nor more lead and mercury in the bodies of our children. Wind, geothermal, solar, and many of the other non polluting sources are the way to go for the future.

But most of all, we need a distributed grid. The present grid is far to fragile, and not designed to pick up the many sources of power available.

Wind , solar and electric cars are inefficient and are not what we need now and as I stated they are not 24/7 on demand power supply which you seem not to grasp. Those are pet projects(w/o tax subsidies) down the road. We need a consistent power supply 24/7 in the present, otherwise we will produce a 1/3rd of gas/petro products and pay 2/3rd to other nations as in money leaving our shore supporting other nations wealth.

Mercury, what do you think is in those curly cue light bulbs?

 

[Old Rocks]

Same stuff that has been in flourescents for years.

Geothermal is 24-7, as is solar thermal. Highest use of power is in the daytime, so solar is an excellent source of supply during that time. Wind is blowing somewhere in the US 24-7, it is primarily the lack of a grid where the power sources are at present that is the problem. Plus the fact that our three grids are not interconnected.

 

[flacaltenn]

Same stuff that has been in flourescents for years.

Geothermal is 24-7, as is solar thermal. Highest use of power is in the daytime, so solar is an excellent source of supply during that time. Wind is blowing somewhere in the US 24-7, it is primarily the lack of a grid where the power sources are at present that is the problem. Plus the fact that our three grids are not interconnected.

Geothermal is a dirty mining operation with large eco consequences. It's blessed solely out of hate for fossil fuels. But has a larger risk of eco damage and drilling footprint than fracking for gas or drilling for oil. Also is NOT renewable in the sense that corrosion takes out the turbines and piping -- hopefully after the current hole "cools out" and requires a new drill.. "Millions of degrees baby" -- (Al Gore).

What else ya got on the "alternatives" list today? Maybe a fresh "wild caught" biomass boiler?

Wind is blowing somewhere? But just not today where you spent $50M on a turbine farm.

Reminds of "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" by Jimmy Buffett.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Same stuff that has been in flourescents for years.

Geothermal is 24-7, as is solar thermal. Highest use of power is in the daytime, so solar is an excellent source of supply during that time. Wind is blowing somewhere in the US 24-7, it is primarily the lack of a grid where the power sources are at present that is the problem. Plus the fact that our three grids are not interconnected.

Geothermal is a dirty mining operation with large eco consequences. It's blessed solely out of hate for fossil fuels. But has a larger risk of eco damage and drilling footprint than fracking for gas or drilling for oil. Also is NOT renewable in the sense that corrosion takes out the turbines and piping -- hopefully after the current hole "cools out" and requires a new drill.. "Millions of degrees baby" -- (Al Gore).

What else ya got on the "alternatives" list today? Maybe a fresh "wild caught" biomass boiler?

Wind is blowing somewhere? But just not today where you spent $50M on a turbine farm.

Reminds of "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" by Jimmy Buffett.

How about drilling yellowstone and using the energy from that sucker. There is a amazing amount of power under that to tap.

 

[Trajan]

You mean the government doesn't subsudize coal, natural gas, and oil. And then there is nuclear.

they work, buy a clue if you cannot find one eh?

 

[flacaltenn]

Same stuff that has been in flourescents for years.

Geothermal is 24-7, as is solar thermal. Highest use of power is in the daytime, so solar is an excellent source of supply during that time. Wind is blowing somewhere in the US 24-7, it is primarily the lack of a grid where the power sources are at present that is the problem. Plus the fact that our three grids are not interconnected.

Geothermal is a dirty mining operation with large eco consequences. It's blessed solely out of hate for fossil fuels. But has a larger risk of eco damage and drilling footprint than fracking for gas or drilling for oil. Also is NOT renewable in the sense that corrosion takes out the turbines and piping -- hopefully after the current hole "cools out" and requires a new drill.. "Millions of degrees baby" -- (Al Gore).

What else ya got on the "alternatives" list today? Maybe a fresh "wild caught" biomass boiler?

Wind is blowing somewhere? But just not today where you spent $50M on a turbine farm.

Reminds of "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" by Jimmy Buffett.

How about drilling yellowstone and using the energy from that sucker. There is a amazing amount of power under that to tap.

What's the timing on "old faithful"? 40 minutes or so? Maybe we could reduce that to just 3shows a day!I had a picture somewhere of a blowout around a geothermal drill site somewhere. Literally a circle of toxic waste and destruction.. I'll have to go find that for Old Rocks.. Green as a toad's ass..

How about a couple notes on Geothermal..

Puna Geothermal Blowout | Blowout Shuts Geothermal Unit in Hawaii - Los Angeles Times

HONOLULU — Hawaii state officials ordered a geothermal company to halt all drilling Friday after a well blowout spewed toxic gas and routed 75 people from their homes on the island of Hawaii.

Opponents of geothermal drilling near the nation's last remaining tropical rain forest claimed the accident shows Hawaii's volcanic resource may be unmanageable.

Minister urges calm after geothermal well blowout, Chile, Electric Power, news

Chile's energy minister Marcelo Tokman urged industry officials to take a recent geothermal well blowout in their stride and said the renewable energy source still had great potential in the country.

Geothermal Well Blowout 1998 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[flacaltenn]

Oh c'mon eco-nauts..

You take all the adult discussion out this with constant hit n' run assertions for "alternatives".. Beat up on wind and you post Geothermal. Beat up on geothermal and you post solar. How long is this charade gonna continue?

Let's calmly assess WHERE alternatives fit in and what ELSE has to be done to make energy "Plentiful and Cheap"..
Or more importantly -- LIST the alternatives instead of pretending there's a long list of viable options just waiting for more subsidies.

 

[mawlarky]

Maybe wind power is just too good to the point that wind turbines are paid not to generate
Scottish Wind Farms Paid to Shut Down Generation

 

[Old Rocks]

Geothermal energy in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geothermal energy in the United States continues to be an area of considerable activity. In 2010, the United States led the world in geothermal electricity production with 3,086 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity from 77 power plants;[1][2] the largest group of geothermal power plants in the world is located at The Geysers, a geothermal field in California.[3] The United States generates an average of 15 billion kilowatt hours of geothermal power per year, comparable to burning some 25 million barrels (4,000,000 m3) of oil or 6 million short tons of coal per year.[4]

Geothermal power plants are largely concentrated in the western states. They are the fourth largest source of renewable electricity, after hydroelectricity, biomass, and wind power. A geothermal resource assessment shows that nine western states together have the potential to provide over 20 percent of national electricity needs.[5][

 

[Old Rocks]

http://geothermal.inel.gov/publications/future_of_geothermal_energy.pdf

Findings: Geothermal energy from EGS represents a large, indigenous resource that can provide
base-load electric power and heat at a level that can have a major impact on the United States, while
incurring minimal environmental impacts. With a reasonable investment in R&D, EGS could provide
100 GWe or more of cost-competitive generating capacity in the next 50 years. Further, EGS provides
a secure source of power for the long term that would help protect America against economic
instabilities resulting from fuel price fluctuations or supply disruptions. Most of the key technical
requirements to make EGS work economically over a wide area of the country are in effect, with
remaining goals easily within reach. This achievement could provide performance verification at a
commercial scale within a 10- to 15-year period nationwide.

 

[Old Rocks]

http://www.mitenergyclub.org/assets/2009/3/2/Geothermal_fact_sheet.pdf

 

[KissMy]

Ok - I am now thinking wind energy is a failure. Because of its high EROEI I used to think we could get 20% of our power from wind since the wind blows 25% of the time. I figured that most of that 25% would be when there was demand. Boy was I ever wrong. 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. 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.

 

[skookerasbil]

You know who thinks wind and solar are going to be huge in 2030? Only those highly invested in wind and solar. Every other forcast you read has wind and solar at 5%-7% max by 2030. But you're never going to change the mind of the true believers.....I just like to be in here to set the record straight for the curious who stumble in here looking for the truth.

 

[zzzz]

Don't subsidize oil???

Estimates of the value of U.S. federal subsidies to the domestic oil and gas industry alone (not coal) range from “only” $4 billion a year, to an amazing $41 billion annually . One recent comprehensive study of U.S. energy subsidies (see graph below) identified $72.5 billion in federal subsidies for fossil fuels between 2002-2008 , or just over $10 billion annually. For more information on the range of subsidies, see below.

Whatever the number, it seems ludicrous that any of our tax dollars would support such established and profitable industries. These energy subsidies are completely out of step with a nation that now broadly accepts the need to end our collective “oil addiction.”

Fossil Fuel Subsidies | The Price of Oil

 

[Old Rocks]

Ok - I am now thinking wind energy is a failure. Because of its high EROEI I used to think we could get 20% of our power from wind since the wind blows 25% of the time. I figured that most of that 25% would be when there was demand. Boy was I ever wrong. 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. 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.

And we can do the same on a national scale.


Iowa Wind Energy Association


Iowa #1 in Nation in Wind Energy Production
Iowa produces 20% of all the electricity generated in the state from wind turbines ranking it first in the nation and second in the world!

 

[skookerasbil]

Ok - I am now thinking wind energy is a failure. Because of its high EROEI I used to think we could get 20% of our power from wind since the wind blows 25% of the time. I figured that most of that 25% would be when there was demand. Boy was I ever wrong. 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. 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.

And we can do the same on a national scale.


Iowa Wind Energy Association


Iowa #1 in Nation in Wind Energy Production
Iowa produces 20% of all the electricity generated in the state from wind turbines ranking it first in the nation and second in the world!

Yeah Ray......but thats like saying Australia is #1 in boomarang throwing accuracy or a Jamaican team has made the Olymics in bobsledding!!.

 

[Skull Pilot]

You mean the government doesn't subsudize coal, natural gas, and oil. And then there is nuclear.

We need additional power. Simple fact. We don't need additional GHGs, nor more lead and mercury in the bodies of our children. Wind, geothermal, solar, and many of the other non polluting sources are the way to go for the future.

But most of all, we need a distributed grid. The present grid is far to fragile, and not designed to pick up the many sources of power available.

Why should we subsidize part time power generation?

We need to get over the irrational fear of reliable, clean nuclear power. We won't have to make upgrades to the grid to handle fluctuating power generation and new designs of reactors can be buried underground and do not need huge volumes of water for cooling. Many of these mini nukes can actually be plugged into existing coal and gas fired generating plants for a relatively low cost compared to building acres and acres of windmills and solar panels in our country's dwindling open wild spaces.

And before you start the nuclear waste argument, 98% of so called nuclear waste is recyclable. Some of that waste can be used as medical isotopes, a multi-billion dollar a year industry that we in the US have opted out of because we have passed laws that make it illegal to recycle nuclear materials.

We have a viable answer to our power needs yet we ignore it for political reasons.