Could offshore wind turbines provide 100% of our electrical power?

Question

Are there any reasons why that might not be a good idea? What barriers stand in the way of implementing a plan like that? What can we do to make it happen?

http://www.capecodtoday.com/news246.htm
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?ch=biztech&sc=&id=16801&pg=1
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050516192202.htm
http://www.mtpc.org/offshore/final_09_20.pdf

Answer 1

A friend in grad school (engineering) told me that they did some calculations in an environmental sciences class or something like that. Apparently, if you have enough wind turbines to cover an area the size of Connecticut, and have a lot of fuel cells connected to them, you can do it.

The wind turbines generate electricity when the wind blows, and excess power is shunted to the fuel cells, which split water into hydrogen and oxygen gas. The hydrogen is stored for later when the wind isn't blowing fast enough to provide enough power. When that happens, you feed the hydrogen back into the fuel cells to produce some electricity to balance out the load.

This would be expensive, but in the long run probably cheaper than importing oil. And of course, there's no good way to put a price on preventing the collapse of the environment.

One problem is finding enough places where we can put the turbines. People don't seem to like to look at them, so for the most part, they will be away from cities. Another is that that many turbines could kill a lot of birds and insects.

I think we'll probably see a balance of wind and solar in the long run, as solar cells get more efficient and cheaper.

Answer 2

No you would need too many and then you would have to convince Barbara Streisand and Brad Pitt that it adds to the ambiance of the beach. THen you woould have to convince PETA that sea gulls aren't really being hurt when they fly into the blades. Oh and right now the barrier is of course Ted Kennedy and his neighbors. Also you would have to develope a reversible mechanism for Calif. we get those off shore and on shore winds. What is the problem with using nuclear power it can be done safer more reliably and cleaner with todays technological advances. and don't give me Chernoble that was faulty Russian technology from the 50' and 60's and a human error anyway.

Answer 3

There is not enough room offshore to place all of the wind tubines. The turbines also do not produce electricity all of the time, and they requre a lot of materials to make one. The wiring from a large distance would be tremendous and so would repairs. You have to use a variety of energy sources to meet all of our energy needs. Nuclear power is the easiest way to get clean power. I think to run a factory using wind turbines half of the state of utah would have to be covered in them. Assuming they were producing power all of the time. You also loose power with long distances.

Answer 4

Yes. I read in Discover Magazine that North America is the ideal place for wind turbines, but we choose not to use them. I don't know what we can do, but it would be ideal. And you don't just need to put them offshore. The Appalachian Mountains get very windy. The entire continent is windy enough for wind turbines. But it may not produce 100%. If we can find an efficient way to store solar energy, that would be better.

Answer 5

Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into more useful forms, usually electricity using wind turbines. In 2005, worldwide capacity of wind-powered generators was 58,982 megawatts, their production making up less than 1% of world-wide electricity use. Although still a relatively minor source of electricity for most countries, it accounts for 23% of electricity use in Denmark, 6% in Germany and around 8% in Spain. Globally, wind power generation more than quadrupled between 1999 and 2005.

Most modern wind power is generated in the form of electricity by converting the rotation of turbine blades into electrical current by means of an electrical generator. In windmills (a much older technology) wind energy is used to turn mechanical machinery to do physical work, like crushing grain or pumping water.

Wind power is used in large scale wind farms for national electrical grids as well as in small individual turbines for providing electricity in isolated locations.

Wind energy is abundant, inexhaustible, widely distributed, clean, and mitigates the greenhouse effect.

Offshore wind turbines are considered to be less unsightly since they can be invisible from shore. Because there are fewer obstacles and stronger winds, such turbines don´t need to be built as high into the air. However, offshore conditions are harsh, abrasive, and corrosive, and it is more difficult to maintain a turbine in open waters than on land.

In areas with extended shallow continental shelves and sand banks (such as Denmark), turbines are reasonably easy to install, and give good service. At the site shown, the wind is not especially strong but is very consistent. The largest offshore wind turbines in the world are seven 3.6 MW rated machines off the east coast of Ireland about sixty kilometres south of Dublin. The turbines are located on a sandbank approximately ten kilometres from the coast that has the potential for the installation of 500 MW of generation capacity. As of 2006, the largest offshore wind farm is the Nysted Offshore Wind Farm at Rødsand, located about ten kilometres south of Nysted and thirteen kilometres west of Gedser Denmark. The wind farm consists of seventy two turbines of 2.3 MW, which produces 165.6 MW of power at rated wind speed.[12]. Three offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom are currently operating, North Hoyle (30 x 2MW), Scroby Sand (30 x two MW) and Kentish flat (30 x 3MW). Another offshore wind farm, Barrow (30 x 30MW), is under construction. Under the energy policy of the United Kingdom further offshore facilities are feasible and expected by the year 2010.

Answer 6

Wind Power is not so efficient it takes up too much space. A better option would be free energy such as orgone energy also known as ether. Or even radiant energy. Of Course the government wont allow this energy to emerge because it would be free and would not pollute.

Answer 7

Perhaps the energy of tidal currents can be harnessed via sub-surface water turbines.

eere.energy.gov/consumer/.../ocean/index.cfm/mytopic=50008

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_power

jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses04/PapersMarineEcologyArticles

www.gasandoil.com/goc/news/nte24851.htm