Another Wind Farm Proposal

[fallard]

Ulladh:

Some of us aren't so stupid. The business case for offshore wind turbines makes absolutely not sense without subsidies in one form or another.

Offshore wind turbines are not even close to being cost-competitive with conventional sources of electrical power. There are some fuzzy-headed state legislators who have imposed rules that require public electric utilities to buy a certain percentage of their energy from renewable sources and pay a huge premium for it. Even if the Feds or the states don't subsidize it directly, the public will be subsidizing it when they pay their electric bills.

"Green" energy--for the most part--is a fraud perpetrated by idealistic environmentalists, aided and abetted by politicians.

[Ulladh]

Energy production and distribution has been regulated in the US by the federal government and state utilities commissions for a very long time. Some of the regulation favor some production and distribution systems over others, that is good or bad depending on what side of the fence you straddle.

Arguably regulations have favored fossil fuel and nuclear energy production over alternate forms but there is a real shift to more creative forms of energy production and improved efficiency of existing systems.

Another example from NJ

NJ Spotlight | Under NJ Energy Plan, Does Sewage Sludge Qualify as a Renewable Fuel?

Use of bio-solids from the waste stream as an alternate to coal in existing power generators, also a reduction in landfill use, and potential cost savings to public utilities.

There is no single solution to meeting our energy needs, but without some imaginative approaches we may stagnate as an economic force.

[Parley]

I love the idea of "green" energy; wind being fascinating to me :duh I agree that large offshore wind farms presently require economic subsidies to make economic sense. EG: The cost of producing a blade far exceeds what owners are willing to pay (roughly $10/lb to produce vs $6/lb to purchase). Subsidies make up the difference and provide the profit for producers.
That said, IMHO big business, $$ and politics have stolen the conversation. Why are so focused on large distributed systems? Small, supplemental devices do make sense. Future advances in technology for these systems would likely spawn economic answers for larger, distributed systems. Unfortunately, too many are of the "not in my back yard" mentality and don't want to see small "home" or neighborhood windmills, or roofs covered in solar panels.
We need to get smart about it regardless any debate over climate change. The indirect costs associated with fossil fuels are killing us (multiple wars, economic impacts to countless businesses from spills, already existing subsidies, etc., etc.).
Just sayin'