The US department of the interior recently stated that Wind Turbines off the coast of the USA could produce enough electricity to meet the whole country’s needs. Which is probably true, with enough offshore wind farms around the coast this is theoretically possible.
Creating forest of windmills does have its downsides, rushing in on an idea is always going to have serious consequences later on. Just like our hunger for oil in the last 100 years has us hooked on the black gold and at the moment we don’t have the desire to pre-empt the time when the end will come in to sight.
One hundred percent wind power is not desirable. An appropriate proportion combined with other forms of renewable energy is more what the world should aim for. Currently offshore wind farms are the “fad”, these are deeper water over the horizon beasts with 100`s of towers. These pose massive engineering problems along with the caution of putting all your faith in one large concept. The reliability, both engineering and natural problems like the need for constant wind, day in day out, should be waving big flags at those beginning this enterprise.
Still the thought of all out electricity needs being supplied by offshore wind farms is something that should be actively encouraged with a long term view and not just because its fashionable or headline grabbing.
Offshore Wind Farm
Offshore wind farms along with their cousins, inshore and land based wind farms, should all be encouraged each for their own particular advantages to initially supplement our electrical energy needs. Hopeful eventually we should or our children should be able to live in a world which is not carbon energy based and ultimately be powered from fully renewable energy.
Wind is one facet along with others, solar energy, hydro power and the one nobody likes nuclear, both fission and fusion. Having green energy is to everyone’s benefit, apart from those companies reliant on the sales of carbon fuels, but its to no ones benefit in being total energy reliant on one energy form.
The cost of changing will probably not bring down the price of energy that we each have to pay, infarct it might even go up. Thus we should also on a personal level continue to try be more energy efficient more closer to home. If we all do little things then it turns out to be a big thing when we join together.
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