Ireland and Scotland Banking on Wind Energy
Ireland and Scotland are looking to their offshore winds as a viable renewable energy source.
Scotland has committed to an ambitious target of supplying 50% of their total energy from renewable sources by 2020, and this is 1 more step towards that goal.
The 2 countries have partnered on a study that will look at the potential for using both offshore wind and wave power for harnessing energy, as well as investigate whether establishing a grid infrastructure between them would permit an offshore transmission network. The hope is that would attract commercial investors to cover some of the associated costs.
The waters between Ireland and Scotland are rich with winds, wave and tidal resources. As are the waters along America’s coast lines in numerous areas, which makes me wonder once again why we continue to trail–rather than lead–in deploying functional technologies for clean and renewable energy?
Rather than bickering over offshore leases for oil drilling, a fuel source that degrades the environment and has a limited future, we should be united in promoting offshore wind farms and improved collection technologies for harnessing wave and tidal energy.
There is probably no single energy source that will ultimately replace fossil fuels alone. We’re going to have to wrap our heads around the concept of partitioning our energy from multiple sources and locations.
A little wind here, a little solar there, a little hydro-based somewhere else and etc. Normally having so many options should be a great thing, however it often lends to confusions and allows those who wish to pump oil for every last profit to easily insert plenty of misinformation. Just as the tobacco industry did with smoking and health concerns for so many years.
Fortunately, people are smarter than they’ve been given credit for and are seeing through the junk science and “paid studies” put out by oil enthusiasts; and have begun taking steps as individuals to change our course.
Hopefully that will eventually lead to government and industry following suit.
Image source: www.imcbrokers.com
!important}</style><![endif]-->
<script type=){kind=link}