Lots To Like About OffShore Wind, But….

Here’s an article suggesting: “We could power the whole of human civilization with wind turbines in the open sea.”

Perhaps we need to define what we mean by “could.” If the author means that we have the physical capability to do this without regard to the cost and the sacrifice that would be required to every other element of human endeavor, yes, we “could.” But that, of course, is totally meaningless, given that we live in a world of people who need to be housed, clothed, fed, kept healthy, educated, transported from place to place, protected from harm and invasion from hostile parties. We also live in a world that functions largely on the basis of the incentive provided by money, which is another reason that the costs of the enterprise matter.

There is a lot to like about offshore wind, and nobody doubts that it will play an increasingly important role in the constellation of renewable energy resources.  But the author’s thesis doesn’t get us any closer to that day.