Off-shore Wind Turbines

[allegrif]

I think off-shore wind turbines are an absolutely fantastic investment. Nobody can complain about noise, and if they're far enough out people can't complain about their looks either. I can't see them being much of a detriment to ocean wildlife, so why are our shores not teeming with them?

The only things I can think of are costs and shipping hazards, but wouldn't grouping them closely together reduce the hazard, and wouldn't the renewable energy be worth the cost?

[Zarostulus]

They're just so expensive. An offshore wind farm can cost millions and millions of pounds, and unfortunately the energy they produce isn't as great as you'd think.

[St Rhenium]

Off-shore wind farms also have a very detrimental effect on fishing, which is obviously a major industry with lots of money at stake. Wind farms mess with radar equipment, which make it harder for fisherman to locate schools of fish.

[LucidEnergy]

I believe that the reason is because wind energy is still in it's infancy, compared with other forms of energy generation, so the scale of economy does not make them as cost-effective yet. I think that things will continue to get better though, and soon enough we will be generating a significant portion of our needs by off-shore wind.

[Zarostulus]

How can we really improve the technology though? Now that I think about it, it's a remarkably simple concept. Wind turns turbine, turns generator - voila, power. All we can really do is make it as efficient as possible, and I worry we may have already reached this apex in terms of blade shape, low friction and generator efficiency.

[LucidEnergy]

[quote author=Zarostulus link=topic=117.msg308#msg308 date=1448455014]
How can we really improve the technology though? Now that I think about it, it's a remarkably simple concept. Wind turns turbine, turns generator - voila, power. All we can really do is make it as efficient as possible, and I worry we may have already reached this apex in terms of blade shape, low friction and generator efficiency.
[/quote]

In that regard yes, we have sort of reached an apex, but with larger and larger turbines, they are more stable. Imagine how the small turbines you often see on canal boats stop spinning almost as soon as the wind does, but large turbines maintain momentum, and even larger ones we see in the future are likely to be even more reliable in less windy periods, and will help us manage the grid better in general.

[Zarostulus]

[quote author=LucidEnergy link=topic=117.msg310#msg310 date=1448455355]
In that regard yes, we have sort of reached an apex, but with larger and larger turbines, they are more stable. Imagine how the small turbines you often see on canal boats stop spinning almost as soon as the wind does, but large turbines maintain momentum, and even larger ones we see in the future are likely to be even more reliable in less windy periods, and will help us manage the grid better in general.
[/quote]
That's a very good point, I hadn't thought of that. Doesn't it take a lot more energy to get them going in the first place though? More wind needed? Or would the larger surface area make up for that?