I am starting to hear more and more about offshore “wind farms” on the east coast. Has anyone heard anything of this or of any OSV companies providing support for this?
Ohhh there’s been a big fight about the one in Nantucket Sound for something like 10 years. I’m not sure they’ve gotten to the stage of OSV companies yet…they’re still fighting about whether or not it’s going to go in. Of course now that Teddy Kennedy is dead, he can’t see it from his house anymore, so it will probably happen.
You can bet your jollies that the 'Vestas’d interests will be clamoring for manning and build exemptions to allow foreign flag crap in. Start NOW by writing letters to your local papers, and congressmen to let them know of the coming issue.
The previously mentioned one in Nantucket Sound has the support of several international conglomerates. They were beating the drum pretty hard about a year ago to get state grants and exemptions for free or reduced docking at local ports. There was talk of having two special purpose windmill support vessels built (foreign of course) with only one member of the crew US.
Cappy, I was reading the Port of Virginia news letter and it mentioned a foreign company was the main one interested in developing a field off of the DELMARVA coast. I know my congress man very well, I think I will make it a point to have a discussion with him on this matter!
There is talk about doing this in the Gulf of Maine as well. I will have to look it up when I have more time, but I think there is already plans for a scaled down trial unit to be installed near Monhegan Island?
+[QUOTE=CoastalDPO;61753] field off of the DELMARVA coast. [/QUOTE]
IIRC, there are 5 or 6 that are being batted around. Nantucket Sound, Buzzards Bay, Rhode Island Sound, South of Long Island, The Del Marva one, and Some more I have conveniently forgotten about.
Although this is just my personal observation; There seems to be some correlation between wind speed and proximity to metropolitan areas that is controlling this issue. It is as if the ‘wind proponents’ are unable to grasp the theory of the ‘grid’ as a nationwide whole. I can’t figure out why they aren’t trying to put these up on mountain tops in cheap places to buy/lease land. Obviously that would make too much sense!
I know it is a drop in the bucket, but Flyer69, that link you gave says that these three (3) little test turbines alone will reduce CO2 and SO2 by 255 tons by themselves alone! How can there be any argument against wind energy?
You pose an excellent question. I guess the governing factor is cost? And without knowledge of how meaningful that 255 tons is I cannot comment further. I do know there is a lot of opposition from the lobstering industry who are very much against anything that would affect their fishing grounds.
My wifes, sisters, husband works for a company that operates a wind far in the mountains near pittsburgh. It does happen. That company is expanding and building more plants.