Guest Speaker: Christina Grumstrup Sorensen
Christina Grumstrup Sorensen is Senior Vice President for Renewables for Danish power company Dong Energy. A mechanical engineer, she has spent the past years developing various energy strategy projects. She began her career at McKinsey and Company in Copenhagen before being appointed a senior manager at Dong Energy... Profile
Discussion - May 2010
To what extent should we encourage the growth of wind energy in our future energy mix?
16 Comments from our contributors
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Chief Operating Officer
European Wind Energy Association
said: On 24/05/2010
The wind energy sector should be encouraged to grow as much, and as fast as possible in order to maximise the huge benefits that it delivers. Alongside energy efficiency and the development of other renewable sources, wind power already plays a vital role in tackling climate change, improving security of energy supply, creating jobs and building a sustainable energy future.
Europe is the birthplace of the modern wind industry and where the provision of electricity powered by wind energy will be taken to new heights in the coming years. Onshore wind power has grown to the extent that it is now considered a mainstream source of energy, and its sister, offshore wind, is on the verge of a boom. Currently wind provides nearly 5% of the EU’s electricity; by 2020 this will grow to 14-18% depending on demand at that time.
The market drivers for wind energy in Europe are still in place and they are getting stronger. On a policy level, the EU has set a target to reach a 20% share of renewables in the overall energy mix by 2020, alongside a 20% CO2 cutting target also slated for 2020. And now, the EU and the G8 have agreed to cut carbon by 80% by 2050. Such a long term vision is vital for the healthy future of our planet, our energy supplies, our economy and job market, and the health of future generations. Wind, as Europe’s leading renewable, has the power to achieve this.
In spite of the economic crisis, the sector has continued to flourish. This year, for the second year in a row, more wind power capacity was installed than any other power-generating technology including coal, gas and nuclear.
Looking ahead to 2050, our goal of an energy sector powered 100% by renewables is not only feasible, but makes economic sense. Wind energy, alongside other renewables, will power Europe with natural, clean, never-ending fuel, breaking the expensive chains of dependence that currently tie us to Middle Eastern oil and Russian gas. Not only that, but the renewable energy sector will provide more than enough jobs to account for the decline of traditional energies.
A just-published report by the European Renewable Energy Council clearly states that the costs of investing in renewables in the coming years will be far less than the social and environment costs of a fossil-fuel, or business-as-usual, powered future. If wind and other renewables attain the 100% threshold by 2050, then the EU’s 80% carbon cutting target will be met, allowing the remaining 20% for the agriculture and transport sectors.
To reach our 2050 target, we need to act now. By 2020, no more new fossil-fuel power stations should be built, accounting for their long lifespan. The EU should also set new renewable energy targets for 2030. In addition, the EU’s electricity capacity is ageing and some 50% of it is in need of replacement creating the perfect opportunity to bring more and more renewable energy online. Investments in modern, renewable-energy friendly grid infrastructure – both onshore and offshore – must also start now.
Wind energy provides immediate solutions to many of today’s problems: climate change, the jobs crisis and energy security. It is already expanding significantly and this growth must be encouraged until we reach 100% renewables in Europe. By seizing this opportunity now Europe will set an example for the rest of the world.
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Superintendant of Utilities
University of Cincinnati
said: On 24/05/2010
Wind is a part of the mix moving forward but I believe it to be a far smaller piece than all the hype would have people believe.
Wind, like solar is not a viable replacement for base load generation like nuclear as the wind does not blow all the time and the sun is not out all the time and industry needs power 24/7/365. So for every wind farm built there will have to be an equivalent amount of back up power available from other sources to sustain developed countries. Is that coal? In some places but on a smaller scale, nuclear, without question when accompanied by uranium reprocessing which is essentialy 97% efficient, making it almost a renewable resource. Plus all the nuclear warheads being dismantled by the US and Russia are being converted to reactor fuel and have been for almost 20 years.
Head of Business Analytics
News International
said: On 24/05/2010
In my view, the appropriate technology to use for energy supply is dependent on the context in which it is to be deployed. Since solar energy captured using solar thermal or solar PV will only ever produce a supply during hours of effective daylight, it makes sense to explore the potential of other sources.
In the UK we benefit from fairly high availability of energy from wind and tidal systems. Both these systems produce during daylight and at night or in marginal daylight conditions.
However, these systems each have their own optimum performance criteria that influence the scale at which they need to be deployed. For example, it is unlikely that small scale systems will be viable for the majority of individual houses. However, they may be viable at a community level in some geographies or as part of large scale community buildings.
A problem with all wind developments (in the UK at least) is stakeholder resistance. In some cases, this may be justified but in others may be misguided. Unfortunately, government frameworks seem designed to exacerbate this issue since (again in the UK), local planning regimes are biased against wind systems at the domestic level so hampering potential development but, government driven large scale projects can ride roughshod over local communities so contributing to negative opinion.
My personal view is that communities should be required to generate a significant proportion of energy locally (and dispose of waste as well by the way) and be disincentivised from ‘buying in’ energy (alternatively expressible as ’shipping out’ the generation/disposal issue). This would focus communities on exploring and being more accepting of RE sources appropriate to their situation. Why should my locality be allowed to resist a wind farm but expect our distant neighbours to tolerate a nuclear facility?
As always, I believe government should provide policy and incentive frameworks that promote/require community action and allow and support these communities as they develop their optimum solutions.
Where government may need to intervene more actively is in developing the infrastructure necessary to allow energy to be easily drawn from and pushed into the national network by all customers. Existing suppliers may have a vested interest in delaying or preventing this facility.
Chairman
SANEA (South African National Energy Association)
said: On 24/05/2010
….and how long is a piece of string? There is no definitive answer to this question. It makes sense to have as much wind energy in the mix as the system can tolerate without becoming unstable. The tolerance of systems to having wind in the mix varies depending on a host of factors. The importance you place on the factors will depend on whether you are for or against wind energy.
I want to shift the debate to the use of wind for rural off-grid energy supply. There are almost two billion people around the world who do not have access to commercial forms of energy. They are cut off from mainstream social and economic development and, because they have no other option, they are contributing to deforestation as biomass is their only available source of energy.
Off-grid wind power has the potential to be the technology of choice in this situation. Usually these rural communities are too small and too sparsely distributed to justify the investment in pipeline or powerline connection. They are isolated.
Why is wind power not being used more extensively then? The problem is that we are driven by a “bigger is better” and “economy of scale” ethos. Wind turbines are now in the 5MW range and are very sophisticated [and expensive] pieces of equipment. This technology has no place in these rural communities – there is no access to technical skills to operate and maintain the plant and spares would have to be brought in from far away, again at great cost. Furthermore a 5MW wind turbine far exceeds the energy needs of these communities.
The challenge to the engineers is to go back to basics. Consider how to produce wind turbines in kit form that have capacity in the region of 500kW, that can be erected easily, operated and maintained by people who have limited technical skills and where the component parts and spares are cheap and can be readily available in small towns. Your market will be the rural communities spread across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Yours can be the product of choice and you will fundamentally change the lives of millions of people for the better.
Managing Director
Sahara Wind Inc.
said: On 24/05/2010
Wind energy is one of the most competitive renewable energy technologies currently available in the market. The transition from fossil fuels into a carbon-free sustainable energy system will rely on a variety of renewable energy sources, but wind energy – due to its favorable economics- already represents a major alternative in future energy mixes
To the extent that wind resources enable local green jobs and industries to be deployed in desolate windy regions, these alternatives should be pursued. If however, those objectives are not met then an unprecedented sustainable development opportunity would have been missed.
The availability of larger amounts of wind electricity generated on an intermittent basis will lead to significant transformations in our current energy infrastructure. To allow for more flexibility, smart grids and electro-mobility are likely to be encouraged while regional interdependent networks will open access to the joint harvesting of plenty of renewables in a carbon-free sustainable energy system. The winds of change already made it!
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Natural Alternative Fuels, Inc., USA
said: On 24/05/2010
Failure to include wind energy development in a comprehensive plan for renewable energy power sources would be a tremendous mistake. The wind is a natural tool that when harnessed, provides man with a clean solution to the problem of declining natural resources; competition (war) over existing resources; addiction to foreign oil; pollution of air and water; cancer and asthma causing emissions and global warming. Failure to recognize the wind as nature’s gift of power and light to man is like the. Israelites in the wilderness failing to recognize manna as the gift of the bread of life.
Declining crude oil supplies, rising global energy demand, the burning of fossil fuels which contributes to global warming, and the need to enhance energy and national security, presents real challenges to overcome. The answer is in advanced technologies, aggressive and broad strategies, that implement efficient, renewable, carbon-neutral power sources. World leaders, local leaders, electric power utilities, investors and entrepreneurs, must see the wind for what it is and what it can provide. We must continue to develop commercial wind energy projects and increase global wind energy capacity.
Wind energy conversion systems are the fastest growing energy technology in the world today. Like liquid biofuels and solar power, wind energy is here to stay regardless of special interest lobbyists, economic downturn or the “not in my backyard” syndrome. Public opinion throughout Europe favors wind energy as most people care about the environment and recognize the social and economic impact of including wind energy in the mix. Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden have seen a significant increase in wind energy capacity in the last decade.
On the other hand, deregulation of the electric power industry in America, bank failures, and investor
reluctance, has caused uncertainty in the marketplace relative to the development of commercial wind projects in the United States.
In recent years, states have implemented Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) that require the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal. At the federal level, the government has implemented Renewable Electricity Standards (RES), similar to the concept of Renewables Obligation in the United Kingdom. The (RPS) is a regulatory obligation that relies on the private market for implementation. The objective of the (RPS) is to drive industry competition, to deliver efficient, innovative, low cost renewable energy and to stimulate the development of a solid wind energy market in America.
The benefits of including wind energy in the mix include:
Environmentally friendly power source
Renewable, clean and safe
Reduces dependency upon foreign oil
Reduces carbon footprint
Conserves petroleum oil supplies
Creates new jobs
Some disadvantages include:
Intermittent power source (presents challenges for access to grid and cost barriers)
Expense and energy output compared to traditional electric power plants (wind plant output=1MW to 30MW. traditional plant output=50-500MW).
Lack of long-term, reliable track record of wind turbine industry (viewed as risky investment)
Lingering negative public opinion (caused by misinformation or lack of knowledge)
Noise impact (caused by revolving blades or gears)
Electromagnetic interference (may interfere with television reception)
Soil and vegetation contamination (from leaks in gearbox)
In spite of any perceived challenges, we must continue to encourage the growth of the wind energy industry. America should follow the lead of Europe when it comes to development and installation of commercial wind projects. The wind industry in Europe has excelled due to a system that creates spirited competition among wind turbine equipment manufacturers, drives down the cost of equipment; and establishes a solid business foundation that includes investment financing of wind energy projects.
Like it or not; the world is going green! Smart money is moving toward advanced, clean energy technology. To turn a blind eye to the role of wind energy integration would be a major mistake. The future of the world must include this clean energy power source, which is nature’s gift to man.
President
African Wind Energy Association
said: On 24/05/2010
Wind energy is particularly advantageous for the African continent because the philosophy behind the technology is in cohesion with the overall social and economic development strategies of most African nations. To begin with, wind energy provides a rather decentralized energy solution. Wind energy can proliferate in an organic fashion, and does not require heavy ‘top-down’ planning. Rather, independent power producers (IPPs) can handle the burden of development if certain grid and infrastructure requirements are in place. The most important of these is a ‘feed-in tariff’ from energy regulators – one was launched here in South Africa last year. Even where strong national grids are not in place, wind energy lends itself to the creation of mini-grids and small-scale use. Rural radio stations or small businesses can generate power that can transform their areas and drive development. This technology is nothing new. In South Africa for instance, we already have over 35,000 wind water pumps in operation. It is just a matter of re-thinking our use of the wind and deploying it in a different fashion.
It is no small matter that wind energy is 100% renewable, and leaves the lightest of ecological footprints. Africa has been ravaged for hundreds of years by foreign powers that have come to her shores to exploit natural resources, leaving few if any positive benefits behind. Wind energy provides a completely different type of investment opportunity for foreign investors in Africa. In a rapidly shifting and unstable overall marketplace, investors are looking to place their funds in environmentally safe and more socially responsible companies. Wind energy provides that investment opportunity, and with great and stable returns for investors. Contrary to speculation, most African nations (particularly coastal nations) do have strong enough wind speeds to explore development options, at both the large-scale and small-scale levels.
Wind energy is not a ‘catchall’ solution to Africa’s energy problems. For starters, more work needs to be done to ensure that ecosystems are not overly disrupted. In addition, communities need to be involved in wind energy more readily. As wind energy creates ten times more jobs than nuclear power, and four times more than coal power production, we need to ensure that education and training institutions are opened now, so that African peoples are not left behind. Lastly, African nations have the resources necessary to design, manufacture, and maintain and repair wind energy installations. We need to ensure that technology transfer agreements at the international level are in place, so that the true benefits of wind energy trickle down to all echelons of African societies.
As technologies become more affordable, efficient, and more adaptable to different environmental conditions and commercial demands, wind energy looks now more poised than ever to become a huge part of the African “energy mix”. This is evidenced by the confirmation of hundreds of delegates from all over the world who plan to attend Wind Power Africa 2010, the African Wind Energy Association’s (AfriWEA) first major international conference. We are hoping to make this conference an annual event. Membership to AfriWEA is free and we hope that all interested parties will visit our website and become part of the wind energy dialogue in Africa.
Manager Wind Energy Department
Energoconsult Ltd, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
said: On 25/05/2010
Wind is the only renewable source that has the technical and economical potential to reach between 40 and 50% from total energy production in the medium term.
Future development should be focused on energy storage and low wind speed turbines.
The key for wind power growth is the solution of the grid stability problem. Very possible solution are hydrogen cells and/or the development of other advanced electro-chemical ways of storing energy.
The additional development of low wind speed turbines…
would help to maintain the base electrical load and would make it possible for the wind turbine to be installed in low speed areas.
Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
Optiwind
said: On 25/05/2010
Wind is an endless resource that arrives for free and leaves no waste in its wake. It exists in abundance around the world and knows no boundaries. Wars aren’t fought over it, oceans aren’t choked when it is spilled and miners don’t die in its pursuit. It can be harvested industrially to power the grid or captured locally to energize schools and homes. Some of the best companies in the world are already in the wind business, but more innovation and more fresh ideas need to be encouraged and nurtured. This is the role that government has traditionally played in the energy market and it is what is still needed in wind. Our future is one of distributed generation, where T&D is marginalized in favor of local solutions and we are all empowered to reach out and capture our own power. Wind can and must be a cornerstone of this energy future.
Project Engineer
Tozzi Nord Wind Turbine
said: On 26/05/2010
Wind energy is actually the renewable energies with the most fastest growing rate, with an affordable pricing. The maturity of the sector should procure with time, still lower energy cost. It is one of the energy with the best ratio Labor work and cost. Which means than more people could make their living from it. As any other energy type, there are also some negative aspects. Some are very disputable as aesthetic (some one find ugly other nice as a tourist attraction) other are of more concern; like bird strike and noise. In any case beneficial are more valuable than negative side compare to Nuclear and Fossil Greenhouse effect. Let ask people what they prefer in their backyard!
I would say than higher penetration of renewable energy for a fossil fuel free word would need better storage politic to increase penetration level over 20%. Utilities consider than any MW of wind energies need same power in thermal plant in case of low wind condition. This aspect in third world or too en-debt country, where capital investment are more limited, have reduced wind and renewable energies penetration. Good storage strategies are the solution for a perfect energy mix. I believe than all the money which is put in renewable is money less going to petroleum lobby, terrorism financial, support and other trouble maker in this world, without considering catastrophic event as Golf of Mexico petrol platform disaster and others. It would be nice to calculated all the cost of this catastrophic event, and add it to the kWh of petroleum derived power station. This cost is assume by state and pay taxer and not reflected in energy selling cost. This is a type of petroleum tax credit probably higher than Green Certificate…
Director of the Advanced Energy and Materials Systems Lab
University of Canterbury
said: On 26/05/2010
There really is only one critical imperative: stop the growth in human generated climate forcing. Encouraging wind energy is basically irrelevant when compared to reducing fossil fuel consumption rates. The idea, the very notion, of reducing the rate of fossil fuel combustion is effectively inconceivable to policy and economic decision makers. Yet it is both essential and inevitable that oil, coal and gas production will peak and decline. An adaptive and responsible society will somehow come to the realization that long-term viability takes precedence over short-term growth.
I am convinced that focusing on growth of wind, solar, biomass or other “alternatives” is a dangerous distraction from the essential social change of becoming adaptive and developing energy demand reduction capability. The question about encouraging investment in building wind farms has an underlying assumption that energy supply must grow, and the pertinent question is about which resource to encourage. However, as pointed out by most of the other comments, you can’t actually grow base-load generation with wind (or solar or waves etc). Therefore, the real work to be done is developing investment in efficiency, conservation, and re-organization to reduce energy demand.
Wind energy is already financially encouraged. The real opposition is coming from people who value the other attributes of their windy landscapes. I wonder what the response would be if the question were, “Should we encourage development of a wind farm AND shut down our most inefficient coal fired power plant?” That would be the start of an interesting conversation.
Wind and Site Assessment Manager
BluMiniPower Srl
said: On 26/05/2010
The question arisen finds its own answer in the targets of CO2 emission reduction and power production produced by renewable energy plants in the national legislation of the three present and prospective biggest CO2 producers: China and India, U.S.A. and Europe.
Although an international binding agreement has not been signed yet, the European Union has cleared his position with Directive 2009/28/CE setting punctual and ambitious but achievable targets for 2012.
Furthermore G8 has agreed, in L’Aquila summit held in 2009, to cut global carbon emissions by 50% by 2050 with a more ambitious target of 80% or more for industrialised countries.
Such ambitious targets could be met only with the contribution of CO2 reduction in the power sector wherein Wind Energy plays at the moment, and has to play in the very next future, a key role.
In this prospective, power production from wind energy will count, globally, for around 12% of the total energy mix in 2050 as hypothesized by the Blue Map scenario in World Energy Outlook 2008.
On these basis no limits should be settled to limit the growth of wind energy in the future energy mix, but rather, all the necessary actions should be taken by proper authorities in order to remove as fast as possible all the bottlenecks still limiting the potentiality of wind energy in EU countries. As unavoidable parallel positive effects, in addition to CO2 emissions reduction, wind energy boost will brought creation of new jobs, supply security, positive impulse to economy in general and local economy in the interested areas.
The topic measures at EU level to be adopted in order to let wind energy drive the long run of renewables to meet UE targets in 2020 pass trough the strengthening of power interconnection systems amongst EU countries and the implementation of power smart grid.
All renewables and, more generally, all other system of power generation would benefit from this measure.
Down-breaking the analysis, 2 aspects of wind energy should be definitely encouraged at any level in EU in order to meet the targets. Offshore wind energy and mini wind energy (up to hundreds of kW).
According to EWEA projections on Offshore Wind Energy, EU seas could power 7 times over the EU needs. Necessary steps have to be made in the offshore power interconnection as well as in the maritime planning.
Although has been always considered at “minor” importance, mini wind energy is recently showing its potentiality and represents one of the most simple and effective way citizens could simply and directly invest in renewable projects contributing in the meantime to help their country meeting EU targets.
Furthermore, mini wind energy plants could be deployed in a more vast area with respect to multi MW Wind Energy plants and will also represent the real opportunity to create a decentralized energy system and supply power in remote areas. All that while giving a small but important contribution to meet UE target represented by a not negligible prospective share in the future energy mix (0,4% of the UK’s power consumption as indicated in the Carbon Trust’s report considering a scenario of only mini wind turbines up to 50 kW installed).
For these reasons European policies should keep on encouraging the growth of wind Energy and all renewables until meeting the targets settled.
That is the only way to to keep European Countries in political and technological leading positions in Climate Change fight having at the same time the right arguments to convince USA, China and India to sign up international binding agreement on climate change.
Senior Executive Advisor
AWEA
said: On 26/05/2010
The first question should probably be: is there the need to rapidly reduce our dependency upon fossil fuels? For environmental, economic and national security reasons, the clear answer is yes. Given the challenge of climate change, we need to bring on as much renewable energy as we can as quickly as we can. Wind is the leading renewable technology and will make the most significant impact over the next few decades in reducing the carbon impact of our electric power system.
There is no single policy pathway to achieve a rapidly growing wind industry. Whether setting an attractive price, as many countries have done through a feed-in tariff, or establishing a quota, as over thirty states in the U.S. have done through renewable electricity standards, both measures have proven effective in building a market for wind and other renewables. The critical factor is establishing stable, long-term policy that encourages investment. Unfortunately, the U.S. has yet to establish such a long-term policy on the federal level, and that is why a national renewable electricity standard is so important if the U.S. hopes to maintain its momentum as the world’s largest market for wind.
Over the last decade, the market for wind in the U.S. has been doubling every three years. With over 300 GW of wind projects having been proposed for interconnection studies in various regional electricity markets, there is every indication that double digit growth will continue for years to come. The U.S. has enormous wind resources, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2008 analysis demonstrated that wind could feasibly provide 20% of the nation’s electricity by 2030. (See http://www.20percentwind.org). Over 10 GW of wind were added in the U.S. in 2009, maintaining the rapid progress the industry has made over the last decade.
Along with the stable policy that would be provided by a federal renewable electricity standard, the other critical step will be investing in the transmission infrastructure required to connect the nation’s wind resources to load centers. We are making strong progress in that direction, as investment is starting to flow toward significant transmission construction. Texas has provided the model through their Competitive Renewable Energy Zones, through which the state will be investing about $5 billion. According to an analysis by the state’s public utility commission, building the transmission will save consumers $1.7 billion per year by replacing the use of expensive natural gas with wind energy, repaying the $4.9 billion cost of the transmission in 2.9 years.
Wind is now a major player in the U.S., in Europe and in Asia, and is making rapid progress throughout the world. For environmental, economic and energy security reasons, that progress needs to continue and should be encouraged by countries on every continent.
Head of the Strategic and Policy Studies Group
GL Garrad Hassan
said: On 26/05/2010
Wind energy has matured over the last decade. The cost of the technology has decreased considerably and is already today competitive in many places. In fact, despite a lot of talk of the “renaissance of nuclear energy”, wind power has actually become the generation technology of choice in many countries.
Not only do governments embrace wind power because its positive effect on climate change and energy security but increasingly because it strengthens the industrial basis of any country that chooses to support wind energy. Economic opportunities that lie in the development of wind power are huge and this can become the main driver in economically difficult times: Spain, Germany and Denmark have created more than half a million of new jobs in the renewable energy industry. The UK, with its big push for offshore wind intends to build up the next big renewable industry in Europe.
The limit for the expansion of wind energy is still far from being reached as worldwide wind resources are abundant whereas the limits of fossil fuels are becoming clearer. Unfortunately, the ecological limits of fossil fuel exploration become very clear these days when looking to the Gulf of Mexico. Such kind of disaster very brutally brings to our attention what risks are involved in our current energy system.
With renewables such desasters do not happen. We know that oil is not used to generate electricity but mostly for transport. But still, with the push into the right direction we might see wind powering our cars in the few years through electric vehicles. And again, many jobs could be created in this area.
Mechanical Engineer
Jaidah Group
said: On 03/06/2010
We should encourage maximum growth of wind energy. Wind energy has low capital investment, easy and feasible to maintain, does not require much complicated technology, occupies less space and most important it comes with no harmful effect on the environment.
Harnessing wind energy leaves almost no carbon print, and the amount of carbon print generated to manufacture the equipment can be balanced within a period of 3 weeks.
That is the reason why I feel that we should MAXIMIZE the use of Wind energy.
But the key lies in finding the right way to generate and store this energy and the optimum use of it, once it is available.
We all understand that wind energy is not available all the time and we cannot depend on it 100%. This is very well understood speaking in terms of naturally available resources.
But the question lies, are we utilizing the available resources to maximum output. I am pretty sure that most of us will agree, the answer is NO. Government, Corporates should work closely to close this wide gap between the available resources and the resources utilized.
Marine Engineer
Marine Innovation & Technology
said: On 23/11/2010
Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable source of energy. We should sustain this incredible growth as much as possible, but a gradual shift from onshore wind energy to offshore wind energy is necessary.
The main issues associated with wind energy are fourfold. First comes into place the Not in my backyard (NIMBY) effect: a wind turbine installed on land is seen as an assault on the landscape. Wind farms require vast amount of lands to produce significant amount of electricity, and mar landscapes. Then, wind turbines are detrimental to the environment, and notably to animal species. Wind turbines are killing birds. The unpredictability of the wind also makes its greatest vicissitude. Finally, the wind energy industry suffers from the lack of transmission lines, and the need for a more modern and flexible grid to absorb higher rates of renewable energy.
A slow and gradual shift to offshore wind energy makes sense for several reasons. The NIMBY problem is solved, since the vast ocean offers significant space for installing offshore wind farms that cannot be seen from the shore (thanks to the Earth curvature, 20 miles offshore is sufficient). Further offshore, the wind resource is more consistent (wind blows at the right time), and fewer ebbs and flows are recorded. About three quarters of worldwide electricity is consumed on the coastal boundaries. Thus, installing wind turbines offshore would probably mitigate the problems of transmission lines, since most of the transmission lines are already built along the coast, and would simply need to be modernized. Finally, in response to avian hazards due to wind turbines, a strong momentum in wind energy is probably better than the fossil fuel status quo, which has destroyed miles of habitats essential to birds, wildlife, and healthy communities. This goes without saying that the disruption of nesting patterns around the world related to climate change, leading some bird species to extinction, is far worse than the threat coming from spinning blades.
The future will be made up of a blend of renewable energies. More generally, we should encourage any type of renewable energy in order to diversify our energy portfolio. But, we should not pick winners like wind energy. We should let the market decide. What is sure is that a much higher level of support for innovation and large government subsidies will inevitably drive technological change. That is the only way to take us from here to there…