A group of approximately 15 to 20 boats descended on the Vineyard Wind project site on Sunday afternoon in a show of peaceful protest against the offshore wind industry.
The group, composed of commercial fishermen and concerned citizens, have been energized by the recent failure of a turbine blade that fractured and fell into the ocean, washing ashore debris including fiberglass and foam on Nantucket and Island beaches.
The “flotilla,” as it was called, was organized by the New England Fisherman’s Stewardship Organization (NEFSA), a fishing industry alliance that has said its frustrations and concerns surrounding offshore wind have not been answered by Vineyard Wind or local officials.
Vineyard Wind is building the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind project, and has been met with significant resistance by both commercial fishermen and locals who are wary about the potential effects of large wind turbines on marine life, fisherman’s livelihoods and on the impacts to their views. The turbines stand as high as 837 feet, with blades as long as a football field. Following the recent blade failure, Vineyard Wind has been forced to halt construction while federal officials conduct an investigation.
Construction on the project has resumed, though Vineyard Wind is not allowed to generate power. GE Vernova, the renewable energy subsidiary of General Electric that manufactures the turbines, has been conducting extensive examinations of the blades to determine the root cause of the failure, and says it will use new algorithms to monitor the health of blades in real-time.
When completed, the 806-megawatt project is supposed to generate enough electricity to support 400,000 homes and businesses in Massachusetts.
On Sunday, protestors who made the approximately three-hour journey to the project site — roughly 15 miles from Martha’s Vineyard — to see the turbines for themselves remarked at just how large they appear up close. Vineyard Wind plans to ultimately build 62 turbines at the site, each spaced one mile apart. At least 12 are completed, according to a report from May, while another 35 are in various stages of construction.
Offshore wind projects have experienced turbulence recently in part due to local resistance but also as a consequence of rising inflation, interest, and material costs which have made long-term contracts no longer viable. Avangrid, an offshore wind subsidiary of Spanish firm Iberdrola, canceled an agreement with Connecticut last year to supply the state electricity from an 804-megawatt project. At the same time, another project in Massachusetts was canceled over similar reasons.
Proponents of offshore wind say the green energy resource is ideal because it uses minimal onshore land while preserving valuable ecosystems, and wind speeds are typically higher over the ocean than on land. Federal officials and marine researchers say that evidence of the long-term harm posed to marine life is inconclusive and requires more studying. Vineyard Wind has outlined ways it attempts to mitigate harm to marine life, including by dampening construction noise and pausing work during seasons when right whales may be in the area.
Otto Osmers, a commercial fisherman from Martha’s Vineyard, made the journey from Menemsha at 7 am on Sunday, arriving at the Vineyard Wind site around 10:30 am. Osmers conceded that offshore wind projects like Vineyard Wind can block trawling and crab trap routes, but had other concerns about the project. “The ocean is one of the last undeveloped places on earth,” he remarked about the sight of so many large turbines peppering the horizon. “We put cables down there but it’s largely undeveloped. It’s sad to see that go away.”
Others were more passionate in their displeasure. Sue Zarba, who along with her husband John who fish recreationally, said seeing the scale of the turbines was emotional. “That was the first time I was up close to the turbines, and I was sobbing,” she said in an interview after the protest. “After you’ve seen this offshore wind farm, you cannot unsee it. Soon over one thousand acres just off the coast will be filled with turbines. We will never be able to undo this man-made environmental disaster.”
“This cannot continue because that’s where we fish,” said Zarba. “They’re developing on a tuna fishing ground. You can’t fish around turbines, you can’t trawl.” She added that her son, who attended the protest, was initially skeptical of her protesting but changed his mind once he saw the turbines.
Osmers noted concern about pollution caused by fishermen, including fuel emissions and the dropping of nets and traps on the ocean floor. But he said that locally caught fish is one of the lowest carbon foods you can buy. “If you eat locally caught fish, the carbon footprint is low,” he said.
Protestors started to arrive one-by-one at the location of the failed turbine around 11 am. As they did, chatter over the radio reflected the grievances of the group. “If it’s such a good deal, why is the government subsidizing it?” one asked. “All the equipment is coming from overseas. Even the rocks for scour protection are coming from Canada,” commented another. Protestors also wondered why the broken turbine has yet to be fixed. “They don’t know how to fix it,” responded one boater.
GE Vernova has factories around the world where it manufactures parts for its turbines.
A boat seen at the protest with a flag for NEFSA and another that reads “Stop offshore wind.” Another boat held a banner reading “Help us now.”
Shortly after noon, as the group forming around the turbine reached a critical mass, it was announced over the radio that everyone should move into single file and sail in circles around the failed turbined, keeping 500 meters away as required by the U.S. Coast Guard over safety concerns. After about 45 minutes, protestors slowly started splitting off for the journey home, thanking each other for their support over the radio. “It was a very peaceful protest,” said Zarba.
Vineyard Wind did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
When in doubt about Climate-Change and it’s impact: Burn more Gasoline, Diesel and jet fuel.
Let the kids figure it out.
1000 acres out of 1,000,000 acres
You are correct. The OSW area being developed is 1,000,000 acres with 1,000 turbines.
I don’t know ,Susan, but you have to twist some
numbers or something pretty seriously to get to the
point that each monopole is taking up 1,000 acres.
That’s about 1 1/2 sq miles per tower. You do know that each one actually
takes up less than 500 square ft, right.?
Quite the stretch to say that 500 sq ft. is the equivalent of
1 1/2 square miles. There are nearly 42 million square ft
in 1.5 square miles.
We just had 20 fishing boats playing ring around the rosie
out there and nobody ran into one of the towers. Or some other
boat. Thanks to all the protestors for leaving the beer at home.
Annoying details.
Stick to the NIMBY narrative.
Susan –Let me put something in perspective here.
There are oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico– just looking at the maps
where oil rigs are highly concentrated, they collectively are developed in an area of our precious ocean that is occupying about 175,000 square
miles. https://www.cccarto.com/atlas/gulfplatforms/
If we go out a little further, to where the rigs are a little further
apart, we more than double that area to nearly 500,000
square miles. (320 million acres).
Now, i understand that these windmills
are in your backyard, and that your one million acres
(or in reality, one acre)
is sooooo much more important than someone else’s 320
million acres– And Spaghetti Monster forbid that in the worst case
scenario about windmills will spill oil into your ” precious” ocean
at a rate of 1/1,000,000 th of the worst case scenario down there.
But it seems you couldn’t care less. It’s not in your backyard.
And some people on this site have claimed they leave their
cars running just to piss liberals off– well, it works–
I’m pissed off and I could not care less if they don’t
like me referring to them by a common nickname.
Perhaps i should start referring to they as “horseface”.
That seems to be an acceptable nickname for about 1/2 of the
voters in this country.
And Susan, do you even know there are 260 thousand miles of
pipelines carrying crude oil across the seafloor in the Gulf of Mexico ?
Is there a decommissioning plan to deal with that ? –NO !
There is nothing in place to remove the nearly 30 BILLION
gallons of oil in those pipes when they reach the end of their
usefulness– they will just rot and release that into
our oceans for our grandchildren or great grandchildren to deal with.
And let me remind you, Susan
the gulf of Mexico is connected to Vineyard sound.
Albert– Is that sticking to the NIMBY narrative enough
for you ? 😉
When a protest happens out-of-sight is it also out-of-mind?
The complaints by a group of people who have long used and abused the ocean and now complain about sharing it with others rings so empty.
I will gladly supply tidal energy to provide needed electricity during disassembly of the whirlygigs…no need to steal power from existing grid…the expired tidal power permit for Muskeget Channel will suffice…announce it and financing will appear…this is a chance to do something illuminating before the OSW fiasco gets worse…let me know…acclimate.earth
steve– of course there would not be any environmental
issues with an industrial sized tidal project. But it would
not be very visible, so I think most people would not mind
how many fish it killed.
Here is a link to the now shut down bay of Fundy tidal project.
I find it interesting that some of the same issues are brought up
as the windfarms– EMF fields, thermal pollution. noise. and marine
fatalities.
https://lfs-mlws-2020.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2021/10/Mengyao-Li-2021-Assessment-and-Mitigation-of-Environmental-Impacts-from-the-Bay-of-Fundy-Tidal-Energy-Development-Atlantic-Canada.pdf
Let’s not forget that the bay of Fundy has some serious tides– Just like we
have some serious wind.
Fundy was the death knell for Tidal…Open Hydro is the company who placed the generator…the device was so badly wracked by ocean forces that it had to be cut up with torches underwater because it would not lift off the bottom…they underestimated the forces by crazy numbers…after I told them it would fail…as for the dead fish, etc…why don’t whales and other marine creatures bump into artificial reefs and other intentionally sunken objects…Tidal Power can redirect this BS before the first Cat 3 hurricane turns GREEN actions into the biggest boon for King Petrochem since DuPont started developing Nylon…keep in mind…all the plastic you see is made from petrochemical waste that would have to be burned off in the refining process otherwise…that includes the generator blades…King Petrochem…making today possible and tomorrow impossible…
Steve, maybe I’m missing something, but as far as I understand, the tidal project at Bay of Fundy is moving forward with three possible new companies: BigMoon Power, DP Energy, and Eauclaire Tidal.
I’m going back to 2009…we are 15 years down the road with nothing but promises since Open Hydro messed things up…there are and always will be more attempts to harness the Fundy Tides…it’s the Holy Grail…oddly…the huge tidal swing is not optimum for free standing generators…more of what is called a tidal bore…water forced through small opening…scroll this page and get a quick lesson…https://shorelineearth.blogspot.com/…the tide is not just local…it’s a bulge on the ocean surface caused by The Moon’s gravity…the speed of flow is not as important as the torque created…imagine the torque of ocean water forced by gravity…perpetual energy…if it ever stops we won’t know it…go Tidal Power…
The arguments against are similar because the gas and oil industry is the money funding the anti’s. They don’t actually care about the possible environmental impact, they just want to keep extracting fossil fuels unabated.
We have never wanted this enormous industrial field of wind turbines in these waters, for years we fought them and they just keep pushing to erect and are erecting them. The government backs them, with our money, thinking they’re “green”. Just awful! I do not support them!
Do you support oil drilling off the Island’s south coast?
Most anywhere out of your sight?
Albert, some people say they want oil platforms instead of windmills. First, they know that MV will never face the possibility of having oil drilling nearby, and second, we have no idea where other people have their money invested. Do they have major assets invested in oil? They have made a lot of money in the past from oil investments and don’t want to lose that revenue stream, so they become naysayers to windmills.
J., you said “we” don’t want the windmills. Wrong. Some people DO want them.
I support them. I’m delighted that banks are willing to lend money to builders to build windmills.
Windmills pay for themselves in about 2-3 months. The savings for renewable electricity vs coal electricity is going to change our world!
We just cannot comprehend what nearly free electricity is going to do for our economy! It’s like we are dying in a parched desert and the money we will save will be like water in the desert and suddenly we will see all these little families suddenly begin to flourish and grow and bloom!
Mary– I have noticed a trend lately.
A lot of people who are opposed to “progressive ideas”
will claim that no one cares, or no one wanted this or that.
Or that “a lot of people are saying” or something to that
effect. Just the other day someone said
“It seems that nobody is saying ” wow the last 4 years
have been great , let’s keep it up. Yeah, maybe not that enact
quote, but I think “a lot of people” are saying just that.
I certainly am.
Another said “There is not a single liberal who talks
about why they support Kamala.”
Since my response to that barely made it under
the closing wire , let me repeat myself
” I am supporting Kamala because she is
qualified. Just to keep it short, She was a senator,
an attorney general and is currently serving as
Vice President.
I like her economic policies . Billionaires have had enough
tax breaks in recent decades.Time for the
middle class to get a few. She supports
school lunch programs, parental leave from work after
childbirth, and LGBTQ rights.
Se is pro choice, pro family, and is for working
‘people to be able to have a living wage on a full time job.
She supports Ukraine, Israel, the United nations, Nato and the
international courts.
She cares about the environment.
She supports affordable health care and has worked to
lower prescription drug costs.
She recognizes that the border issue is a problem because of
unbearable conditions in some south American countries.
She supports our active military personnel and veterans.
She know what the words compassion and empathy mean.
She is optimistic and happy — yes, Spaghetti Monster forbid
She is happy and upbeat. She can actually laugh.
Is that enough for you ?
Perhaps you could tell us about why you support trump.”
The response was “You support her because You hate Trump,
like every other liberal I know.”
another was
“Face it, Don. You like her because she’s the democrat running
against trump. Case closed.”
and another
” She had no empathy whatsoever for victims who were once sexually assaulted by pedophile priests.” — I love it when they have
to resort to the “pedo” card. —-and of course,
“She also has a tendency to laugh”
Now– I am sure there are some people who would tell
us why they like an anti-semitic,petrologically lying , name calling
veteran slandering misogynistic, narcissistic racist,
convicted felon who vows to have military tribunals for his
political enemies. He has openly said he will be a dictator on day one,
and said “Get out and vote just this time. You won’t have to do
it anymore. Four more years it will be fixed. It’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”
Trump added: “You’ve got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.”
Now I’m not going to sit here and say why some people would vote
for such a shallow man..I could come up with some interesting
reasons, but I’ll let them explain it for themselves.
Have at it kids —
No Don, Trump DID NOT say he would be a dictator on day one…..check the facts. He did say that ONLY on day one would he be a “dictator” in order to reverse out all of Biden’s ridiculous Executive Orders. A big difference to what you have erroneously proclaimed on numerous occasions to the reality of what was actually said on many Trump campaign stops. But then again you always like to change the narratives to fit your own agenda.
Eddie– Look at what you wrote. buddy—
you are acknowledging that he said it while
saying he didn’t say it.
And has he said what he would do on that “one”day ?
i guess no need to sign any ridiculous executive orders —
just order the military to execute every democrat
in congress, dissolve the FBI, the DOJ, the EPA, the FDA
and release all of his cronies from prison.
That might do something– And remember, presidents
are immune from anything that they do that is unlawful.
I don’t know if you know much about history but
I assume you know something that I don’t about dictators.
But I have never heard of a single one who voluntarily
stepped down from that position.
And yeah, dictators always have a great reason to
kill their enemies and save their country.
And of course, we can all believe trump when he says
“for one day”.
He has never told a lie—-
I have been employed by Kamala on the island when she was running for Senate. She is mean, dumb, and doesn’t tip the hired help! That’s all you need to know.
John– Harris sounds like your kind of girl.
Mean and dumb…
Except of course , she presumably paid the
“hired help”.
no, No, NO —
If you want someone with true presidential qualities you
have to find someone who is not only mean and
dumb , but great at the art of
stiffing the “hired help”.
If you just refuse to pay them, you don’t need to worry
about tipping them.
Tipping is a sign of weakness.
Don, even ludites like me can see trump for what he is. How many of Trump’s court cases have been thrown out? Dozens. How many attorneys have been disbarred? Trump supporters have said to me that he never assaulted anyone. It could be they say that because who they follow on social media says that—so if they believe the courts and jurors (regular folks like you and me), then they would have to recognize that their social media sources aren’t trustworthy—and they can’t wrap their head around that. It’s easier to believe that all journalists are lying than to believe their own sources are lying.
Mary– I have a republican friend who strongly
believes the media when it matches his beliefs.
And is absolutely convinced that anything that
doesn’t match his beliefs is a lie.
Some form of cognitive dissonance, I think.
Sort of like claiming everyone who disagrees with
what the Israeli military is doing in Gaza is an anti-semite.
No proof needed– Their sources are often “trust me, bro”.
If you missed the reason I am using that phrase, you can cut to
minute 3:25 of this clip–
https://www.thewrap.com/seth-meyers-mike-lindell-dnc-video/
Thank you Seth Myers.
Don, by the way, if you haven’t yet read the book, “White Robes and Broken Badges,” I recommend it to you. There are many, many people in Florida and other southern states who are actual kkk members as well as members of other racist groups. The racist people are in all walks of society, including the police. Therefore, the conservative racist people like having a racist candidate for political office. The initiation ceremony includes a sword and a bible. Wonder why Trump carried a bible for a photo op when there was a black lives matter protest outside?
Kamala Harris has accomplished nothing I can see these last years. VP is largely a supportive role, but she took on leadership in 3 areas of importance that needed and still need resolving: abortion rights, voting rights, and immigration control at our southern border. We all know how well she’s done. Being pro-choice, “hitting a brick wall” on voting rights, and being an embarrassment re our border are failures ignored by her supporters.
When you pin down any liberal left democrat, those dehumanizing haters of: Trump, MAGA, Israel and Jews, republicans, admirers of ocean views sans falling-apart windmill bits, marine life, and people who drive gasoline powered cars, here’s what they’ll tell you about why someone who’s failed at her job is worth supporting as POTUS: she cares, she’s upbeat, she’s optimistic and happy, she laughs (like someone having a psychotic episode) and she “has empathy”. I imagine people who cannot feel empathy might be tempted to think that a candidate’s real or politically imagined empathy, for any cause du jour the liberals ignorantly glom onto, merits support, even if it’s coming from an incompetent, ill-equipped person to be commmander-in-chief. After a liberal finishes telling all the baloney non-reasons why Harris has their support, they will launch into the real reason they support Harris: they are obsessed with hating Trump. It happens every single time.
At least there are figures supporting that many Americans are indeed displeased with our current leadership. Look at the polls throughout Biden’s term. Seems plenty of us disagree with the notion that these have been great years. In contrast, Don, you’ve made far broader and more insulting declarations about half the country, and on a purely subjective basis.
“. . . and of course, ‘She [Harris] also has a tendency to laugh’ ”
When quoting somebody, it’s important to include all relevant parts. Otherwise you’re stripping context to avoid the crux of another’s stance. I never implied that laughter itself is problematic. In lots of situations, it’s obviously fine. This is about time and place.
I stated that Harris has cackled amid discussion of tragedy. Hardship. Not around, say, roly-poly puppies. Stark difference in a profession that requires her to address suffering on a global stage. It’s abnormal, and offensively so, to erupt into head-tossing peals during *any* serious moment. Forgive me for noticing; my eardrums sure haven’t.
It announces to the world that she is—meaning we are—unprepared. She pulls this when asked to elaborate on issues that impact our daily lives. I’ve seen her do little else, and yes, I pay attention. Officials in the know don’t resort to giggle fits or linguistic corkscrews. They can provide informative answers on the spot.
I simply want to grasp where the nation stands. What the plan is for pressing matters, sans hysterical evasion. I keep returning to this flaw for a reason—if Harris can’t master the basics, why should we trust her with more difficult tasks?
I’ve zero interest in weakness repackaged as joie de vivre. The genuine article can be found outside of government, through loved ones, hobbies, pets. From politicians, I only want solutions. Thoughtful responses followed by action. In Washington, that is going the way of the dodo. Others are free to accept or deny that the bar is now set in Hades; I’m free to believe that’s proof of societal decay and worthy of repair.
There’s a lack of discernment and honesty across the spectrum. It demands fixing. Trouble is, change requires examining failure on *every* side and from each angle. A challenge made impossible when the myopic insist we discuss only orangemanbad, 1000% of the time.
Laughter is miles from my biggest concern about Harris as POTUS. I brought it up because you called her empathetic. Stressed, overworked folks who have spent their last dollars on groceries under this administration, all while she promotes a shiny self-image above substance, may disagree with your descriptor. Can’t feed a family on levity and brat vibes alone.
I do wonder if the election will become a referendum on those pretending you can. This is a vast republic with unmet needs, not a middle school cafeteria. Popularity counts for nothing with me; even less when it’s been manufactured before our eyes, and with the subtlety of a classic Trump tweet. Democrats object to his showmanship (fair) but were quick to embrace the empty razzle-dazzle from Kamala & Co. (Not surprised.)
There is something off about claiming to want a “positive” leader when one has spent the decade inserting political negativity—the raging, personal sort—into apolitical chats and scenarios. An event as neutral and pretty as a solar eclipse somehow became the platform for a partisan dig here. Was that indicative of a happy, Harris-inspired approach?
If authentic, I would like to see this newfound cheer and goodwill put into practice while speaking with, or about, citizens who have a different perspective from yours. Do Chekhov proud. Show, don’t tell.
The pedophilia remark warrants its own response.
BREAKING NEWS. “Sunday’s protests came just days after a wind turbine at the Dogger Bank Wind Farm off the coast of ENGLAND suffered a blade failure as it was being commissioned. It was the second blade failure at Dogger Bank involving GE Vernova’s Haliade-X turbine, the same model that is being installed by Vineyard Wind in the waters southwest of Nantucket.”
https://maritime-executive.com/article/wind-turbine-blade-fails-on-ge-vernova-turbine-at-uk-dogger-bank-wind-farm
How many wind turbine blades have failed?
People killed?
Jet engine turbine blades . . . .
and coal miners.
We should not ignore the concerns raised here. We all slept through two years of public hearings. If these protestors are correct one hurricane could turn our beaches into an oil covered disaster zone. Whales are already being found dead on shorelines. What will happen when 1000 of these oil turbines are completed?
How many gallons?
More than the biggest SSA ferryboat?
Buzzards Bay fuel barge?
albert– I wonder how those oil tanks at the Packer
marina get their fuel.
And ideas on that ?
And what is all that black stuff that is near the tops of those
tanks ?
Fiberglass boats and Styrofoam coolers.
Offshore wind projects have experienced turbulence recently in part due to local resistance but also as a consequence of rising inflation, interest, and material costs which have made long-term contracts no longer viable. Avangrid, an offshore wind subsidiary of Spanish firm Iberdrola, canceled an agreement with Connecticut last year to supply the state electricity from an 804-megawatt project. At the same time, another project in Massachusetts was canceled over similar reasons.
A boat flotilla in protest of Vineyard Wind – The Martha’s Vineyard Times
A boat flotilla in protest of Vineyard Wind – The Martha’s Vineyard Times
A group of approximately 15 to 20 boats descended on the Vineyard Wind project site on Sunday afternoon in a sho…
For 2019 through 2022, the analysis showed Berkshire Hathaway Energy had severely turned the tables on the IRS, harvesting $6.1 billion in tax payments from the federal government. And for the first quarter of 2023 things got really silly when BHE reported a negative 163 percent tax rate, meaning the firm literally collected more harvesting tax payments from federal taxpayers ($363 million) than it made in profits for providing electricity ($223 million).
https://capitalresearch.org/article/wind-power-doesnt-make-sense-without-the-tax-credits-part-1/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz7C2BhDkARIsAA_SZKZh4HZzC1RbBQgcY1wm4AT_MiTxXjCH-01Ze1hF3Yu7WDVtUF3CMsAaArU6EALw_wcB
In 2019, Iowa’s Duane Arnold Energy Center provided more than 5.2 TWh of nuclear power. The facility was shut down the following year. The Palisades nuclear plant on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan was shuttered in 2022, but kicked out 7 TWh of electricity in 2021. And in 2019, the last year both reactors were still operating at full strength, New York’s Indian Point 2 and Indian Point 3 combined to deliver almost 17.5 TWh of nuclear energy.
Add them together and these four recently mothballed nuclear plants, sited on combined real estate of just 1.8 square miles, provided more annual carbon-free energy than all 1,500 square miles of MidAmerican’s Iowa wind turbine fields.
Offshore wind projects have experienced turbulence recently in part due to local resistance but also as a consequence of rising inflation, interest, and material costs which have made long-term contracts no longer viable. Avangrid, an offshore wind subsidiary of Spanish firm Iberdrola, canceled an agreement with Connecticut last year to supply the state electricity from an 804-megawatt project. At the same time, another project in Massachusetts was canceled over similar reasons.
A boat flotilla in protest of Vineyard Wind – The Martha’s Vineyard Times
A boat flotilla in protest of Vineyard Wind – The Martha’s Vineyard Times
A group of approximately 15 to 20 boats descended on the Vineyard Wind project site on Sunday afternoon in a sho…
For 2019 through 2022, the analysis showed Berkshire Hathaway Energy had severely turned the tables on the IRS, harvesting $6.1 billion in tax payments from the federal government. And for the first quarter of 2023 things got really silly when BHE reported a negative 163 percent tax rate, meaning the firm literally collected more harvesting tax payments from federal taxpayers ($363 million) than it made in profits for providing electricity ($223 million).
https://capitalresearch.org/article/wind-power-doesnt-make-sense-without-the-tax-credits-part-1/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz7C2BhDkARIsAA_SZKZh4HZzC1RbBQgcY1wm4AT_MiTxXjCH-01Ze1hF3Yu7WDVtUF3CMsAaArU6EALw_wcB
In 2019, Iowa’s Duane Arnold Energy Center provided more than 5.2 TWh of nuclear power. The facility was shut down the following year. The Palisades nuclear plant on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan was shuttered in 2022, but kicked out 7 TWh of electricity in 2021. And in 2019, the last year both reactors were still operating at full strength, New York’s Indian Point 2 and Indian Point 3 combined to deliver almost 17.5 TWh of nuclear energy.
Add them together and these four recently mothballed nuclear plants, sited on combined real estate of just 1.8 square miles, provided more annual carbon-free energy than all 1,500 square miles of MidAmerican’s Iowa wind turbine fields.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.rilegislature.gov/Special/comdoc/House%20Corporations%202024/03-21-2024–H7815–Wind%20Farm%20data%20-%20Miles%20Bidwell.pdf
The Myth of Wind Farm CO2 reduction By Miles Bidwell Our government, Federal and State, plans to build 872 giant wind turbines off New England.
The Myth of Wind Farm CO2 reduction Generating electricity with windfarms causes existing plants to emit more CO2. Generating electricity with wind farms may increase the total amount of emissions and make emissions greater than they are now without the wind farms. Thus, the wind farms and all the environmental damage from building them may have no offsetting benefit at all. Studies in Ireland, the Netherlands, Colorado, and Texas have found that adding wind farms causes the existing fossil plants to produce more CO2 and that as the amount of wind farms increases, the total CO2 becomes more than it would have been with no wind farms (see endnote). I understand that this assertion appears counterintuitive to people who have been inundated by 3 3/26/2024 politicians and media insisting that building wind farms will reduce the amount of carbon in the air. Here is an explanation of how adding windfarms can increase the total amount of CO2 emissions. The fuel efficiency of a generating plant varies the same way as the fuel efficiency of a car varies. A generating plant, or car, is most efficient when it is operating steadily at its most efficient output. When the generating plant is varying its output up and down like a car in traffic, it can use twice as much fuel to generate the same amount of electricity. When it is accelerating rapidly, called ramping, it requires much more fuel. Before windfarms, electricity systems, like that in New England, were designed so that different plants steadily supplied electricity for the number of hours at which they were most efficient like cars driving on a highway. In the following discussion, it is important to remember two important characteristics of electricity: 1) electricity cannot be stored at reasonable cost and not in any significant amount, and 2) the amount of electricity being produced must always exactly equal the amount being consumed or the system collapses causing widespread blackouts. In an electricity system without windmills, the amount of electricity that is consumed at different times is predictable. Each day the system operator estimates how much electricity will be consumed at different times for the next day. This is predictable and stable, and different generators bid to supply the predicted quantity in each period. Almost all the generation is done by plants that are designed to run steadily, as if they were cars on a highway. The addition of windfarms disrupts this efficient process. Windfarms produce electricity that is unpredictably intermittent, and this is what makes windfarms an inferior source of electricity. No one controls how much electricity a windmill produces. The amount produced depends on and varies with the strength of the wind. Recall that the amount of electricity being produced must exactly match the amount being consumed. Since the amount of electricity being consumed is predictable and almost constant at any time, the fossil generating plants now must continually change their outputs to compensate for changes in the wind, including having to 4 3/26/2024 increase output very quickly when the wind drops. This is equivalent to a car changing from driving the speed limit on a highway to driving in traffic with intermittent rapid acceleration. Not only does mileage get very bad, but total wear and tear increases, and the life expectancy of the machine decreases substantially (in Europe some of the most efficient new combined cycle plants (CCGTs) have had to be removed because the frequent changes in output were causing major damage).
Etc. Etc. Etc.
My paper, among others, “2030 – The Final Illusian” clearly proves that there will be no reduction of Co2 by 2030 or any other date. Fundamental laws of supply and demand forve ever more Co2 as GNP constantly increases. Once we started this world industrial expansion beyond balance we created a Co2 problem that was unstoppable. Offshore Wind is excellent at creating tax reduction opportunities for big business. It is not for real as far as saving our planet. Far to the contrary, it is ruining it in many ways.
Frank, I didn’t see any papers from the Chinese. What are the Chinese saying about wind energy? They have the most windmills and they keep building more. Why?
The Rest of the Story:
Wind generator facts:
This web address is a picture of windmill blades eroding fiberglass particulates.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10233470096439085&set=p.10233470096439085&type=3
Pictures of worn out blades:
https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2023/09/05/thousands-of-old-wind-turbine-blades-pile-up-in-west-texas/?fbclid=IwY2xjawExv9JleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHXjakXFrpk0AlfQTgT1Ir5fSiH6hDdHUmNQSYKmREL1MqLaLZP5cpzL8Iw_aem_arIazapMHR3rIL9VDtQtTA
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=398689343319003&set=a.106275769227030
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Donald Muckerheide
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I am afraid folks are missing the big picture regarding fiberglass shards in the water. Windmill blades wear out. The reason blades wear out is the constant abrading of the leading edge of the blades. They are filled and repaired until the blade becomes beyond repair. This is a constant source of the finest and sharpest form of microplastics. This pollution is much like that of asbestos in that it never goes away.
The scale of this reality can be seen in photos of, and the conversation about, the massive areas of blades being buried in landfills where the bulldozer looks like an ant in comparison to the blades and landfill area.
For those who compare this issue to oil, they need to realize that oil is a natural substance that is consumed by aerobic microbes. It does ultimately go away or settle back into its natural environment. Even nuclear waste has a natural life cycle. This glass particulate does not and will destroy the food chain on both farmland and the ocean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ss0V4vJSFyg&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwY2xjawEyCPlleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQfGfoMD9s1dJ978hUFQoQw-E1PgyLcDKVoHJZL11yqXlUod9a3hiDWgog_aem_Drb-Y7NQc_LWfcjbu9eiUw
Donald, who paid for that research? Perhaps some oil barons drilling for oil in the North Sea?
as some here often ask– how much petro was
wasted on this one ?
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, the combined actual
impact on the surface of the ocean is under one acre.
If we want to count the “scour” area, which consist
of rocks, we get to about 31 acres. My guess is that rocks
will provide a pretty good habitat for many living creatures
and those creatures will work their way into the food chain
and will ultimately wind up feeding the fish these fisherpersons
are looking for.
Someone on Islanders talk even complained that the rocks
were from Canada. How xenophobic can you get ?
I’m not sure how many of those rocks will be involved in
a crime, but some of them are , I suppose, good rocks.
After all, there are good rocks on both sides of every issue.
You are correct. The OSW area being developed is 1,000,000 acres with 1,000 turbines.
Experirnce of water spout. All I know is my 30 foot sloop exploded. The waterspout – (tornado over warwe) grabbed my mast ans twisted it aeouns until it and everything attached to it – steel cables, decking unit it blew up sounding like a massive bomb. Total destruction.
Frank– I have been reading about that yacht that sank off the
coast of Sicily in a possible waterspout. I am glad you survived.
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