World's Biggest Wind Power Plan
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 05.18.07
Plans have been released for the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The huge array of 350 turbines would power more than a million homes, and cost three billion pounds ($6 billion). Company representative, Peter Crone said, "Atlantic Array would be a landmark project that would see the South West taking a significant step towards a more environmentally sustainable future."
The plant would be situated off Devon, and would create hundreds of long terms jobs as well as huge amounts of energy. Matthew Spencer, chief executive the renewable energy agency for South West England, said, "Atlantic Array is a game-changing proposal which will have a major influence on the Government's thinking on the best areas for offshore wind, currently assumed to be shallow water off the East of England coast and in the Irish Sea." :: BBC
See also :: Mag-Wind Vertical Axis Turbine for your Home :: New Report: Offshore Wind Could Power Entire U.S.
That is one huge wind power instillation but after the cost of putting it up and maintenance expenses I wonder how efficient is will really be?
I love this idea of massive Wind farms. I see them all across the Southwestern USA. They are beautiful engineering marvels. Why isn't it put into practice where the wind blows incessantly. Where the power is most definetly needed, 'off the New England Coast ' of North America ? One other question for the Engineers among us. How many Wind Generators does it take to provide enough power to actually build and install another Wind Generator ? http://daflikkers.blogspot.com/
6 billion dollars = 1million homes wind powered
1 trillion dollars = Projected Cost of Iraq War
1 trillion / 6 billion = 166.7 x 1 million = 166,700,000 homes wind powered
We Could provide clean wind power to every single home in the United States FOREVER for the Cost of one pointless war of choice. Think about that.
A really great move to environmentally sustainable future
http://meninweb.blogspot.com/
wind power is good. we should do even greater engineering and electrical works. biological filters and reactions are probably the cheapest and easiest proto-industrial systems we have going at this point, aside from water splitting.
I would love to build one in my back yard and put solar panels on the house but the HOA would just freek out.
This looks like a great step in the right direction. I can see what they mean by the East of England taking most of the wind power, I live there and it seems we are nearly the only place with lots of these!
This is very cool idea, wind power is future ;)
1,000,000 people per 350 turbines, so 2860 homes per turbine. For $6 billion, which is 1.7 million per turbine, so the cost per home would be about $6100, seems pretty cost competitive with roof mounted solar cells. We need a couple of large farms like this in Australia (rather than the 25 nuclear power stations, at $5 billion aussie dollars a pop, our government seems to want to build), we certainly have a lot of un-inhabited coastline perfectly suited to wind and wave farms.
With the biggest issue facing mankind (global warming) ever besides all out war. It is good to see that some countrys are starting to take the issue seriously and start doing somthing about it. In this article I just read I would imagin that it would use up a lot of land for this project. I suggest that we kill 2 birds with one stone here and install solar panels in between the wind generators to maximise the use of the land and get more watts of power per square meter. We should be doing all that we can to reduce greenhouse emitions even if it does cost a little more than burning fossil fuels. It would be a long term investment that would save this planet. Now isnt that more important than the ecconomy
"Why isn't it put into practice where the wind blows incessantly. Where the power is most definetly needed, 'off the New England Coast ' of North America ?"
because those are wealthy communities and the people have spoken out against their beautiful ocean views being ruined by windmills.
This is great news.
I just hope they don't put them where lots of birds are flying.
Here in Norway there has been reports that wind mills are killing white-tailed eagles and other birds.
There has been some concern setting up wind mills in areas where migrating birds are flying through.
Hopefully this will be implemented in more places across the world and at a faster rate than is presently being done.
If there is a will, there is a way.
The world needs to be re-educated that power doesn't only come from oil.
Thank the global leaders for being concerned. Except Bush.
" I suggest that we kill 2 birds with one stone here and install solar panels in between the wind generators to maximise the use of the land and get more watts of power per square meter."
Not a bad idea. Both the blades and tower are skinny and cast very little shadow.
That also addresses the objection about turbines spoiling the view. They would scarcely be visible from the shore. Look down from an airplane at a big power transmission line. You see a swath in the woods where the line runs, but you can't see the towers themselves, from a couple thousand feet away..
I think using wind turbines will always be a good thing to the environment, though it may take up a lot of space. WInd turbines can get rid of the energy for work, and also, it can produce energy and electricity for the neighborhood :)
iI AGREE WITH AUSSIE GUY . WIND BEATS NUCLEAR AND HE FORGETS THE COST OF URANIUM TO RUN IT THAT WIND DOES NOT HAVE,NOT TO MENTION THE POSIBLE HUMAN KIND ERASING ACCIDENTS.
HERE IN USA GOVERMENT SHOULD HELP MUCH MORE TO ENLARGE WIND POWER INSTALATION WHICH EQUALS ENERGY INDEPENDENCE SO LINKED TO OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE,THAT CONSUME WAY BIGGER RESOURCES
On the comment of the 1 trillion for IRAQ also being enough to build enough wind turbines to power the whole US... I believe I read somewhere that 1 trillion is also the amount it would cost to build a 10 square mile solar array in arizona that would power the entire US.. at current, semi-crappy PV technology. And we wouldn't even mess up wind patterns. If only we had the backing of the military industrial complex...
This is a great step in the right direction.
We can meet the entire worlds needs through wind power and solar using todays technology and on solar greater efficiencies are promised.
This technology will enable China and India to lift circa 2 billion out of poverty without destroying the environment but it will take market economics to make it happen.At the moment getting a return on the sunk investment in the petrocemical infrastructure is limiting the rate of change but that will change over time.
Futures looking a bit brighter
I also agree that we should be spending it on the REI instead of war. I read on a front page that Bush said the war will ultimately cost 8 grand per man, woman and child. I figure that a total Renewable Energy Infrastructure will only cost about $5 per day for about 32 years per household not per person That would provide (at this rate) "power for a billion homes". Or the pure electric mobility and household power for one very large country! Post Oil Crises sucks when it hits home with poverty and disease!
6 billion = a million homes...$6,000 per home. Not bad since the war will cost you more!
If every household (in the U.S.) pay just $5 per day for 32 years, we would have the power for a BILLION homes. At that rate, even if it is inflated, is still enough power for a 100% purely electrical and mobile USA. I'm sure that kind of money ($6 trillion) would also pay for powerlines and other Infrastructure such as electrical storage.
Since corps make the money, they would pay also. We are running out of gas, we better hurry up before rising fossil fuel costs prevent the creation of the needed REI in the first place!