NREL report: Big opportunity in offshore wind

[kristopher]

NREL report: Big opportunity in offshore wind

November 8, 2010 by Paul Dvorak
The United States is now deliberating an energy policy that will have a powerful impact on the nation’s energy and economic health for decades, says a report recently issued by NREL. The following is excerpted from its executive summary.


NREL’s least-cost optimization model found that 54 GW (54,000 MW) of added wind capacity could come from offshore wind.
...
Offshore wind power and other renewable-energy sources can help build a diversified and geographically distributed U.S. energy mix, offering security against many energy supply emergencies. Wind power produces no harmful emissions, ground-level pollution, or public health issues.

The U.S.’ offshore wind-energy resources can significantly increase the wind industry’s contribution to the nation’s clean energy portfolio. The United States is fortunate to possess a large and accessible offshore wind energy resource. Wind speeds tend to increase significantly with distance from land, so offshore wind resources can generate more electricity than wind resources at adjacent land-based sites. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that U.S. offshore winds have a gross potential generating capacity four times greater than the nation’s present electric capacity. While this estimate does not consider siting constraints and stakeholder inputs, it clearly indicates that the U.S. offshore wind capacity is not limited by the magnitude of the resource. Developing the offshore wind resource along U.S. coastlines and in the Great Lakes would help the nation to:

Generate 20% of its electricity from wind by 2030. In assessing this potential, NREL’s least-cost optimization model found that 54 GW (54,000 MW) of added wind capacity could come from offshore wind...

http://www.windpowerengineering.com/construction/installation/nrel-report-big-opportunity-in-offshore-wind/

[joshcryer]

1. Hmm, we'd have to build, what, 2 10MW offshore turbines a day to achieve that goal?

Get back to me when we've started.

[kristopher]

2. Both offshore and onshore 1 crew can install 1 turbine/day.

Once the preliminary planning and supply is established and delivering putting them up is a fairly simple and straightforward process.

Without the ability to forecast policy action on energy and climate, however, the pace cannot be predicted. We could easily install 50 per day if we wanted to, or the policies might continue to favor carbon and it will be like the past where we will be lucky if we install any at all.

[joshcryer]

3. Let me know when they're doing it, please.

Because as it stands now the wind industry is utterly capitulating to fossil fuels.

[Name removed]

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[joshcryer]

5. No I'm not.

But really, what more way to prove yourself right than to show us wind actually contributing toward CO2 reduction!

[kristopher]

6. Then why have you been bashing renewables and cheering nuclear for years?

Are you really blind to the fact that you are producing WRITTEN RECORD?

[joshcryer]

7. You call "let me know when they start building" "bashing." This shows your cognitive disconnect...

...from reality.

The fact remains that I am an environmentalist who sees no current "solutions" in any technology as yet. This is not delusion, this is simple logic. It takes far too much effort to actually build out these renewable technologies, and short of magical revolutionary innovations, no significant build out will occur. Instead, I have to repeatedly read lies about how renewables will save us, which is tantamount to greenwashing when the liars in question fail to actually contribute substantive answers to pressing questions like "where is the buildout?" Or "when do you project this will happen?"

Indeed, your favorite person to quote, Jaded Diamond, is strongly seen as a greenwasher by many progressives. You speak with two faces, on one end corporate industries are bad, on the other end, corporate industries are going to be the future. It's very cute.