Lindt, J., & Lindt, J. (2020, February 8). Push for wind farms off Central Coast now has Navy’s support. Retrieved from https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article240103098.html

About a month ago, the Navy agreed on some areas where California can build their offshore wind turbines. The Navy is okay with offshore turbines being built in Northern California, but not as much in Southern California. The problem with Northern California is that there is a lack of available transmission capacity, which is necessary for offshore wind turbines. The Navy has allowed us to build in some small areas in Southern California, but not that much so far. California hopes that the Navy will extend the boundaries that we can use for offshore wind turbines in the future because the state’s goal is to eventually power the grid with 100% renewable energy. 

I think that this is a good start for the Navy allowing us to use some areas to build offshore turbines, but in the future we will need much more area to provide a sustainable industry. Only if we could get a better transmission capacity in Northern California, then we could have much more land to build the turbines and we’d probably have enough to create a sustainable industry. But for now, we will have to work with what we have and make the best of it, hoping that in the future the Navy allows us to use more area off the coast in Southern California. 

Gerdes, J. (2020, February 18). Navy Signals Willingness to Accept Wind Farms Off California’s Central Coast. Retrieved from https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/navy-signals-willingness-to-accept-floating-wind-farms-off-californias-central-coast

California just received the green light to build offshore wind turbines, but only in certain areas because of the military. Although this is a step in the right direction, the area that the military allowed California to build in is not enough to build a viable industry in. There is only enough space to build one small project, which will not become a sustainable industry, unless the military allows for more space to build wind turbines on. California has very ambitious goals in the offshore wind energy industry, but with the military holding them back, it might be hard to follow through with these plans. 

I think that California’s ambition is what we need right now in terms of alternative energy sources. I just hope that the military allows for more space for offshore wind energy because without that, we cannot do anything or make any progress in wind energy. This will be a good start though because this one small project will give insight into how well these floating turbines work, and the actual wind energy that is produced from the Pacific. Most of the offshore wind energy is being produced on the East Coast so far, but now this project will show us how efficient and if it will be different on the West Coast. Although California might not attain their goals for offshore wind energy, this project will be very important for the future of offshore wind energy. 

Helman, C. (2020, February 21). Trump Condemns California Wind Farm As Decrepit Eagle Killer. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2020/02/21/trump-condemns-california-wind-farm-as-decrepit-eagle-killer/#5f32cea12054

In Palm Springs, California, there is a large onshore wind farm that has been in use since the 1980’s. President Trump visited this area a few weeks ago and thrashed on it for it’s unaesthetic looks and it’s danger to the bald eagle population. But, from a study that was done, it was found that only two bald eagles have been killed from this wind farm, and that’s in almost 40 years. This wind farm produces about 1600 megawatt hours of power each year and the energy is 100% renewable and carbon free.

I disagree with Trump’s criticism of this wind farm, and wind farms across the country. Although they might not be aesthetically pleasing to everyone, they get the job done, they are efficient, renewable, and produce no carbon emissions. And, his point of killing the bald eagle population is false, because only two have been killed by this wind farm in the last 40 years. Although the occasional bird might be killed because of these wind farms, there is no danger to entire populations of birds. I think that California should continue to make more wind farms because of their efficiency and nonexistent carbon emission.

Iaconangelo, D. (2020, February 20). RENEWABLE ENERGY: Deal emerges to bring 1st offshore wind farms to Calif. Retrieved from https://www.eenews.net/stories/1062398125

The first offshore wind energy farm in California is currently being constructed. After coming to an agreement with the military, these wind turbines will be these first floating turbines will be the country’s first use of them at a large scale. California is hoping that many other states and countries will follow them in building offshore wind energy to create another source of clean energy. The one issue that California is having is the military, and right now, California isn’t allowed to build any offshore wind turbines without the military’s agreement. They have agreed with this one farm, but none others so far. 

I think this is a very important step for the US and I believe many other states and countries will follow California’s example. I’m not sure why the military is so strict about offshore wind turbines because I’d think that the military wouldn’t need everything along the coast. But, I do think that they will understand and allow us to build more offshore wind turbines in the future. This could be the next main energy source because it is very efficient. Although it has a high cost to build, the maintenance doesn’t cost too much and it is out of the way. The wind patterns on the ocean are fairly predictable and fairly consistent, so this could provide us with an efficient energy source.

Nikolewski, R. (2019, December 5). Offshore wind still looks to get a foothold in California. Retrieved from https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/energy-green/story/2019-12-05/offshore-wind-still-looks-to-get-a-foothold-in-california

This article is about the future plans of California’s energy sources. Tom Kiernan, the CEO of the American Wind Energy Association, wants to start building wind turbines off the coast of California, but military considerations have to be brought into effect. Local and federal governments are working with the military to come to an agreement that could possibly install two sites for wind turbines off the California coast. But, offshore wind turbines are harder to install on the west coast rather than the east coast because the Pacific Ocean drops off and is much deeper than the Atlantic. In order to install these turbines, they would have to float on the surface with a rope that goes to the ocean floor to hold it in place.

This would be a major breakthrough for wind energy in the US because California often leads by example when new things are being tested. Offshore wind energy is already being used on the East Coast, but not at a large scale. I think that if California started to mainly use wind energy, the rest of the country would follow. This would be a major help to the reduction of CO2 emissions because we could slowly decrease the amount of fossil fuels we are burning. Instead, we could use wind energy which is a clean energy source. 

Richard, C. (2019, October 25). Global offshore wind fleet to grow 15-fold by 2040. Retrieved from https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1663624/global-offshore-wind-fleet-grow-15-fold-2040.

The International Energy Agency, or IEA, predicts that the offshore wind energy could increase 15-fold by 2040. Many countries are starting to build offshore turbines and wind energy is becoming very popular. The IEA predicts that the government will reduce the costs by 60% of offshore turbines to promote the installation of them. Also, it is expected that governments will make the industry much more stable by creating a long term plan for offshore wind energy. With these government subsidies, it is expected that the offshore wind energy industry will grow exponentially in the future. Offshore wind energy took account for 0.3% of global electricity at the end of 2018, but by 2040, it is expected that offshore wind energy could take account for 5.4% of global electricity. 

The offshore wind energy industry is growing quickly and in the future, with more technological advancements and government subsidies, the industry will grow exponentially. Right now, offshore wind turbines are efficient, but they are pretty expensive. The financial side of it is what is holding back many countries from making them. Technological advancements will make these turbines even more efficient and cheaper as they will reduce transmission costs. With this and government subsidies, offshore wind turbines will become much more affordable and many countries will start to develop more offshore turbines. 

Richard, C. (2019, November 11). US and China to ‘challenge UK’s top offshore spot’. Retrieved from https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1665035/us-china-challenge-uks-top-offshore-spot.

The leading country in offshore wind power is the UK, but analysts say that the US and Asia, especially China, are catching up. Although China is building from a small base compared to the UK, they have the most potential, and could become the biggest country in offshore wind power by the early 2020’s. Offshore wind energy is becoming an important role in today’s world of renewable energy, and many countries are starting to catch on. Although offshore wind energy is becoming very important, onshore wind energy still accounts for 64% of wind farms in development. The development of onshore wind turbines is ahead of offshore turbines and is expected to keep the pace as both keep developing. 

The development of offshore wind turbines is lagging behind onshore ones now, but I think in the future, offshore wind turbines will become a bigger deal. Onshore turbines aren’t as important because they take up valuable land, but offshore ones don’t take up space that we could be using for something better. Offshore turbines also produce more energy than onshore turbines. In the future, offshore turbines will become much more valuable and efficient, and more money will be spent on them rather than onshore turbines. I think the UK will remain the leading country in offshore wind energy because they have an island, and have the ocean all around them where they can build offshore turbines. The US will be one of the leading countries also because we have two coasts with a good amount of area to build offshore turbines. China doesn’t have as much coastline, so I don’t think they will become a leading country in offshore wind energy. All of these countries are advanced technology, so it comes down to the area that we have to work with and experiment.

Richard, C. (2019, November 11). GE’s 12MW Haliade-X produces first power. Retrieved from https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1665071/ges-12mw-haliade-x-produces-first-power.

The biggest and most powerful offshore wind turbine in the world is being built, and it is called the 12mw Haliade-X. This was first announced in March of 2018 and is currently undergoing tests in the UK to make sure it works under real world conditions. The turbine will be installed in Saint-Nazaire, France, and hopefully installed by 2020. The creators of this turbine hope to start mass production of this model in late 2021 or 2022. The company who created this, GE Renewable Energy, focuses on the production of energy from renewable sources. 

This new product could revolutionize the wind energy system and make it much more efficient. This is a big step in terms of the improvement of wind energy. If this turbine that is currently being tested is successful, then more will be produced and they will spread across Europe and eventually into America. This renewable energy source is very efficient, and although it is expensive, it is much better for the environment. First, developed countries will get this turbine because they have the money, but eventually most countries will get this, and it will change wind energy. 

Richard, C. (2019, November 11). Africa set for nine-fold wind capacity increase. Retrieved from https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1665180/africa-set-nine-fold-wind-capacity-increase.

The International Energy Agency says that Africa is set for a nine-fold increase in wind energy between 2019 and 2040. Africa is already increasing it’s wind energy capacity by starting to build some turbines. Although it will be hard to find the money to do this in Africa, it will help many countries’ economies develop. However because of the small power markets and unreliable grids it will make it very hard to manage variability. Because most Africa is underdeveloped countries, this would be the first continent to develop its economy through modern energy sources. If Africa does take advantage of this opportunity to develop countries through energy sources, it could create many more developed countries. 

This would be a very good step for countries in Africa to take. Along with the benefits for the environment, and having a way to get energy without harming the environment, this could also develop much of Africa. Much of Africa is very poor, so the hardest part about installing these turbines would be the source of the money. If the IEA, or the International Energy Agency, helps with the financial side of this, it could develop much of Africa. Also, Africa could benefit from their plentiful reserve of natural resources that would be needed for these clean energy sources. This could not only help the environment by having clean energy sources, but it could also revolutionize many countries in Africa to develop them. I think this is a very important step that many countries in Africa should take to help the environment, but also help get rid of the terrible poverty in many places in Africa.

Richard, C. (2019, November 11). Enercon sends up distress flare as Germany’s wind market collapses. Retrieved from https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1665213/enercon-sends-distress-flare-germanys-wind-market-collapses.

This article is about the continuous downfall of Germany’s onshore wind energy companies. The wind energy market in Germany is collapsing because the number of installations of onshore wind turbines has reached a 30 year low. Enercon has blamed this collapse of the failed political reforms, but he is planning for 2020 to focus on international markets and try to fix Germany’s falling wind energy market. Also, the climate protection package that was recently passed puts Germany in a deeper hole and creates more, and bigger problems. Because of the tough global competition that Germany is against, it puts them at a lot of pressure. 

The problem that Germany is facing now needs to be fixed quickly or else it will become much worse. They need to start increasing their use of onshore wind turbines to help bring the market back up for them. Especially with the new climate protection package that was passed, Germany needs to switch over to more wind energy or their economy will fall. In the next year, they need to plan a mass installation of wind turbines in order to keep their economy going strong. Although it will cost a lot to make all of these wind turbines, it will make Germany’s wind energy market strong again.