The proposed 1,000 megawatt offshore wind farm off the coast of Morro Bay would be an economic and environmental disaster. The water off the California coast is very deep, and the project will have to employ floating platforms. This has never been done on a commercial scale, so any cost estimate would be pure guesswork. With 100 platforms, any design error or cost overrun would be multiplied accordingly. Wind turbines, having numerous moving parts, have an anticipated life of around 20 years, and maintenance will be a challenge since the platforms will be far out to sea and a soccer field or so up in the air.
It would also be inefficient. In 2020, German offshore wind production had a capacity factor of 27.8 percent of nameplate capacity. Assuming a similar production rate off the California coast would mean that 1,000 megawatts of nameplate capacity would only produce less than the equivalent of 300 megawatts on an annual basis. In addition, because renewable production in California is already maxed out at less than 25 percent of total demand, the entire offshore wind production would have to be stored to be available for when other existing renewables production is not available. Power is lost going in and out of storage, so the capacity factor would be further reduced to the point that the effective production would amount to about one-sixth of what Diablo Canyon can produce.
The only feasible commercial power storage technology right now seems to be batteries, which have a relatively short life span of around 10 years. Applying battery storage to renewable production would put incredible pressure on existing resources and the environment, not to mention ongoing recycling issues.
If you really want to consider alternative energy, a good start would be to acquaint yourself with the facts.
Mark Henry
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Nov 11-18, 2021.
Mark, I would suggest you are the one who needs to be acquainted with the facts.
– The proposed wind farm(s) could be up to 7gw, not 1gw.
– Offshore wind farms would generate power mostly when solar is dormant, thereby offsetting the peak in renewables we experience every day.. with most of the power getting used right away. In fact, the Cal Poly research team found that offshore winds are strongest when demand is greatest.
– The battery farm proposed in Morro Bay would also store much of that wind power and deploy it whenever it’s needed, drastically reducing greenhouse gasses from other forms of energy production like gas peaker plants.
– Fossil fuel plants have historically overestimated their power production, making them cost prohibitive in the future. (https://www.rethinkx.com/energy-lcoe)
– Wind is the cheapest form of energy we can generate, period. Even if estimated costs were to skyrocket, as you claim, the price of that power would still likely be cheaper than fossil fuel plants and even Diablo, which isn’t very cheap (contrary to popular opinion).
– The jobs generated by the proposed wind farms would be massive. CalPoly and REACH estimated that a 3gw field would generate $254 million in annual economic output JUST IN SLO COUNTY and $396 statewide. A 7gw field would be a $686 million boon for the county and over a TRILLION for the state, creating up to 2488 jobs. By comparison, diablo canyon creates more jobs (3557 vs 2488) according to this study, but generates MUCH less economic output ($244m v $686m)
If you’d like to dig deeper and educate yourself on this topic, here is the link to the study:
https://reachcentralcoast.org/wp-content/u…
Mark,
Many of your comments are misleading and speculative.
You did not address any environmental disaster issues. Certainly you’re not suggesting we stick with fossil fuels, because we know how wonderful that is for the environment. So, leading with this attack on wind energy is manipulative.
Regarding technology and efficiency, let’s look at the facts. DOE estimates that the technical offshore wind resource potential from state and federal waters along the United States and the Great Lakes coasts is more than 4,000 gigawatts
(GW).1 Wind turbines in the US currently generate over 338 billion kWh of energy, or about 8% of total US utility-scale energy generation.
“It would also be inefficient.”
Levelized cost of generation in the US:
Nuclear energy generation: $81/MWh
Coal: $84/MWh
Offshore wind: $115/MWh
If you mean it would cost more, then, yes it would. Currently, with much less environmental destruction and byproducts. So, worth the cost? I’d say, yes. Between 2010 and 2019, wind energy costs have dropped by 71%, with costs continuing to drop, and technology continuing to increase.
Power loss going in and out of storage: I’m sure you know that more than 6% of energy is lost in our current transmission of power? I’m sure know that refining fossil fuels is inefficient? I’m sure you know that gas vehicles experience a 64% to 75% energy loss. Coal plants have an energy efficiency of 45% to 55%. Wind turbines are more efficient, and with no by-products. So, going into the energy storage, wind, solar, geothermal are more efficient to start. Factoring in energy loss from in and out of battery storage, these renewable forms of energy are still more efficient, not to mention less environmentally destructive. https://datagenetics.com/blog/june12017/in…
“California is already maxed out at less than 25 percent of total demand.” California is moving toward a goal of 100% renewable energy source production. https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2021-03/cal….
There are pros and cons with every endeavor. And an offshore wind farm, with storage is not without its challenges and its “cons”. Having said that, our current energy production, use, distribution, need to change. Wind energy is a viable, safer, cleaner, more efficient option at this time and should continue to be explored.
Let’s work on improving wind energy, instead of trying to kill it, since fossil fuel energy production isn’t working.
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electr…
Be part of a solution.
Frank Scotti
Templeton, CA
1. Musial, W. and Ram, B., 2010, Large-Scale Offshore Wind Power in the United States: Assessment of Opportunities and Barriers (NREL/TP-500-
40745),