The quest for renewable energy sources is one that has had a great impact on the current society. The invention of the various forms of energy was a great move for the humankind. However, its negative implications brought dire consequences to the lifeforms on earth. Man in his knowledge and wisdom so the need to go back to nature and utilize it for production of energy. It is evident that this is one of the noblest ideas as freely available resources in nature such as wind and sunshine have helped production of energy and are now replacing the environmentally unfit forms such as petroleum and coal. Wind production as a form of energy attracted a lot of use especially the agricultural sector. While most people begun by constructing windmills and turbines on the mountains and even plains, it is currently clear that great investment is being made in the construction of wind turbines off the shores (Dai et al., 2015).
In offshore energy production, the turbines are constructed deep in the ocean water and used to produce large quantities of energy. The offshore energy is ideally one of the largest regarding quantity which is measured in Megawatts. Production of wind energy offshore is used to supplement and even replace hydro energy in most cases. This idea is one of the greatest since the production process requires only installation cost. Maintenance also seems to be cheap for this means of energy production. The idea has been accepted by many countries probably because of the quest for environmental conservation. The impact of the form of energy would be significant both to the environment and to the industries that rely on electricity as their main or sole source of energy. This assignment discusses the offshore energy by looking at the various cases that exist all over the world (Dai et al., 2015).
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The Genesis of Offshore Wind Energy
The Offshore Wind Energy was first installed in Denmark which is one of the European countries. This occurred in 1991, and the contribution of this form of energy to the total grid power has been immensely great. The capacity of electricity from offshore source has been increasing especially because the country constructed an energy farm entirely for the production of wind energy. The other European nations borrowed the idea of and invested heavily in this form of energy with the aim of changing the energy sector. Greatest changes were experienced as from the year 2013 when most nations increased their investment in wind energy (Dai et al., 2015).
It is interesting to realize that by the year 2014 United Kingdom had taken over the platform of Energy Production and was leading regarding Capacity. The other Countries within Europe also invested, and it was possible to rank them with regards to the amount of MW that contributes to their national energy grid. Some of the countries that took this critical step include Sweden, Spain, Finland Ireland and many other. Other none European countries such as China also opted to invest in the form of energy with the goals of securing the future which is said to be ‘green.' The phrase the ‘future is green' is meant to mean that only sustainable forms of energy will be required in the future world thus the need to put efforts in putting up this essential source of energy (Butterfield et al., 2007).
The current trend is that most countries, for instance, the mentioned European countries have been increasing their capacity of the energy that is produced from the offshore wind sources. The projection of this production is having above 40 GW of energy in Europe originating from this source. Even nations such as China expect a tremendous increase, and soon enough, all nations having sea borderline will have no option to resort to this form of energy. The investment in this form of energy is not just because it is the current trend, but due to the reasons that it is part of the schemes that would save the earth from the problems of environmental degradation (Dai et al., 2015).
Designing of the offshore wind power plants
It is worth noting that the amount of energy produced from each wind turbine does not relate in any way to the area of the sea that the plant covers. Before construction, factors such as the size of the seabed, strength of the wind or water currents and the action are essential. These factors have great influence on the mechanical support that is put on the structure. The amount of support that is put to anchor the turbine is significant since it determines their stability and thus the ability for consistent and long-term energy production. Since the turbines are mostly made from metals, it is important to consider other issues such the level of salinity of the water and the marine life in the water. Majorly, these factors would be responsible for the durability of the materials used to build the turbines. It is not economically feasible to build turbines that would not last for a long time. The move is, therefore, to build the plant in waters that would not lead to serious decay of the turbines that would help in the energy production process (Dai et al., 2015).
The turbines are installed with features such as sonic and light detection for their best operation away from the shores of the sea. This is done mainly because of the need to monitor the functionality of the installation. It is a fact that it would not be an easy task to keep traveling to the location of the turbine to check if there are any problems. Since the oceans do not have a proper internet connection, it is wise that all forms of remote sensing are utilized and installed with the turbines for proper communication between the control unit and the plant of the windmills. Building stronger and well-positioned mills would help in the constant production of power thus the realization of the amount of electricity that is expected from the planned project. The planning process must also involve the determination of the total area within the sea. The construction of this kind of project is never easy, but worth the hustle since the quantity of energy produced from the project is high. Moreover, other advantages can be accrued from this mighty project whose ultimate aim is to benefit the life of humankind (Butterfield et al., 2007).
The requirements for construction include supporting structures for the turbines, the wind turbines, electrical infrastructure, operations, and maintenance, assembly and installation and the tools for modelling. The issues of safety are paramount during the construction process thus the need to ensure the personnel involved in the work are skilled and understand the needs of the construction process. Safety of the staff working on the construction sites of the turbines must always be given the first priority. Moreover, the safety of the environment is also paramount. This is done by reducing the impact on both onshore and offshore space with the aim of increasing the chances of survival of all the organisms within the construction locale (Butterfield et al., 2007).
The technology in the construction of the wind turbine in both the onshore and offshore plant differs greatly. The turbines in the offshore space are designed for greater reliability and to achieve higher strengths of the energy produced. The reliability is assured through the use of larger rotors with wider tips, having an electrical installation that increases the electricity in the grid and ensuring highly sophisticated strategies of control. All these mechanisms work towards ensuring that a large amount of electrical energy is harnessed from the highly costly construction of the electrical plants. The system has to be installed together with floating systems that reduce the impacts of the ocean waves that may cause serious damages to the entire construction of the sea. This is part of safety measure for the wind turbine. The future turbines try to exploit the possibility using rotors that have two blades and have permanent multipole generators. This would be accompanied by increased sophistication that would ensure that higher amount of electrical energy is produced from these plants. The sophistication includes the installation of high-temperature superconductors and use of high voltage output conductors. This means that the future of offshore wind production process is secured with the expectation of production of higher energy capacity. The result if this is that the high cost of investment in this project would not matter anymore to the nations that wish to invest in this field of energy production. In fact, it is possible that several nations all over the world would consider investing in this field (Butterfield et al., 2007).
Benefits of Offshore wind energy construction
The offshore wind energy production is becoming the current trend in the world because of the benefits it brings to the energy construction company. It is possible that these benefits supersede the disadvantages of its construction. The first benefit is that the winds that blow offshore are a bit steadier than the ones experienced on land or on the shores. This translates that the production of energy using wind off the shore would result in a more constant energy production process. This would majorly eliminate the problems of surges in the amount of electricity. The surges have always resulted in greater losses to the industries especially because they occur when not expected and the industries usually require a constant supply of power. Moreover, the fluctuation in the electric energy is one of the reasons why most people have never sorted to invest in the realization of wind energy. This, therefore, comes as a breakthrough to this challenge and makes people have a second thought about the use of wind energy. The offshore wind energy would, therefore, be desirable for the various industries and even for other uses. In fact, it would be able to serve the various regions just like hydroelectric power which has been most utilized in most states for quite some time (Dai et al., 2015).
The other benefit of this form of energy production is that it is a great source of renewable source of energy. This has been a great desire of many people due to the ever-deteriorating condition of the earth. The world has experienced a lot of problems that are related to environmental pollution especially from forms of energy such as coal and oil. Finding a suitable replacement has been of the greatest hustle. The hydro-energy was meant to solve this challenge, but still, there was dependence on oil. Having large scale energy production from wind coupled with production from another renewable source a great step towards the realization of the safe earth where pollution of the environment is a thing of the past. The levels of greenhouse gases reduce significantly due to the energy production process from this form of energy. Moreover, more jobs are created by this nature of energy production since it requires some expertise that would work towards its realization. The creation of new jobs even for a specified period is a plus to the economy of any country since makes more money to flow in the economy and raises the living standards of many people in such a nation.
Furthermore, many coastal areas tend to experience higher speeds of wind as compared to the inland regions. The percentage of people living in the coastal region all over the world is greatly significant. This comes a handy way of providing energy to this population that is constantly increasing due to the as many people currently prefer to have their life around the shorelines. Moreover, the shore of the many oceans and seas are excellent tourist attraction thus the need to have a constant electric energy supply. This is one of the best means of providing the constant supply of energy to the population thus providing an ever amazing experience to the local people and the tourist who visit the shores. The energy would be utilized mainly for supply the energy needs of various entertainment sources for the places of fun activities and to light the homes. Moreover, the life around these regions involves fishing thus this energy source would help in achieving this purpose especially through the supply of the energy for the conservation of the fish caught for food supply (Devine-Wright, 2014).
On the other hand, the needs for wind energy increases as the demand for energy also increase. This demand is mainly influenced by the constant rise in population. As mentioned earlier, settling along the shores is one of the greatest moves by most people all over the earth. It is evident that people love the life along the shores since it gives them a good condition for raising families and having the various form of entertainment that is desired especially during the holidays. Other people seek life along the shoreline mainly because of the fish supply that is considered an important source of proteins. Moreover, people have been seeking fish since it is an important source of protein that replaces the red meat which is thought to be unhealthy for most people in the population (Dai et al., 2015).
Finally, the construction of this kind of energy has the benefit of reducing the land cover that is owned by the state. Since the power plant is built on the ocean water, the land that could have otherwise been occupied by the project is put into other suitable use that would greatly impact the people in the society. It is, therefore, appropriate to conclude that this form of energy production greatly positively impacts the lives of people. This form of energy has aimed to make the lives of people easier and more enjoyable. Energy produced from wind would have the advantage of replacing all the other forms of non-sustainable energy sources thus making life on earth more desirable. Important is the fact that it would impact all sectors of life such agriculture, industries and normal livelihood. This is a great step towards sustainability and should be greatly considered for a better life.
Disadvantages of offshore wind energy
One of the great disadvantages of this form of energy is that the impact of the constructed wind turbines on the environment is not well known. This impact is especially with regards to how the turbines influence the lives and behaviors of the birds and the marine life. This is an artificial incorporation in the society, and it is only prudent that the effects it may have on the society be studied before its installation. The unknown impacts may have negative effects on the marine life or the lives of the birds. This may lead to the disappearance of certain species of organism in the near future. Moreover, the project may negatively affect the life form, and this is not healthy for the maintenance of the biodiversity (Steele et al., 2015).
Moreover, the construction process is not easy since the turbines have to be put several meters below the sea or ocean water. This requires special expertise which may be expensive in most cases thus costing a nation a lot of finances. A lot of time and energy would be invested in the construction of the wind production plants. This is even more challenging in the situations whereby the ocean is relatively deeper. The turbines are also not very safe in the ocean water. Sometimes the ocean water experiences storms or wavy condition that may result in the destruction of the turbines. The financial impact of this kind of destruction may be great and would lead to loss of great investments. Furthermore, the electric cables being put under the sea may course electric shocks. The effect of electric shocks may be deaths that would be costly to the biodiversity. Interference to the already stable biological system may have serious negative impacts that would change the forms of lives forever. The only safe way of ensuring the forms of life are safe under the sea could be ensuring that the marine life is not affected by either the construction process or the amount or form of energy produced from this process.
Finally, the installation of this project would have the disadvantage of the construction being unpopular among the local residents who leave along the seashores. In most cases, these people would complain about the site of the turbines on the ocean water. In fact, some people may see it as a money generating project thus demand compensation with the threats of destroying the turbines. In some cases, the turbines would be subjected to theft by the host community who do not understand the significance of the construction. It is not possible to fence the power production farms in the oceans thus greater juxtaposition to theft by the unscrupulous local people (Kaldellis & Kapsali, 2013).
Case Studies
The Case Study of the United States
The United States of America consider Offshore Wind Energy as one of greatest inventions that would have serious impacts on its economy. The country has been pumping a lot of finances to upscale the size of its offshore wind production. The country has more than 40 % of its population settled along the shores thus this is possibly one of the greatest ideas the nations has ever considered. The construction process in the United States is done with the proper incorporation of the latest technology in the wind turbine and energy construction. The aim is to have the largest and most robust wind energy production from the offshore farms. The economist in the country argues that the upscaling is done even as the nation struggle o increase efficiency and minimize the cost of construction. All these is done with the objective of accruing maximum benefits from the project that is meant to benefit the industries in the United States and the local people. The focus of the country is to increase the size of its turbine for the production of a higher quantity of energy and to utilize the economies of scale by having fewer people responsible for the maintenance process of the turbine. The drive to invest heavily in this project is for the aim of attaining sustainability. The US is setting trends globally, and probably other nations are emulating their steps in energy production. The States impacted by this project include Ohio, New York, Delaware, Maryland, California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massaschutes with Massascutes having the highest level of investment among all the states. The choice to invest in a particular State is considered based on its total seawater cover. This country is exploiting its wind energy capacity by moving deeper into the ocean water where the speed of wind is more reliable, and the effect of the project on various life forms is highly reduced thus having more energy than it could have on the shallow waters (Parastar & Seok, 2015).
The Case Study if China
China is found in the list of the emerging nations and has been investing in most of the recent developments including the offshore wind energy. This country had its first offshore wind plant flagged off in the year 2010 with the aim of having significant improvements in the future. The country has a robust offshore wind energy farms that focus on increasing the annual energy grid from these sources with the aim of ensuring that country uses only sustainable forms of energy. Several wind energy firms have emerged in the country with an example of Goldwind which is the leading company with regards to production. Other companies include Hebei, Huaneng, LM and Atkins among many others (Perez-Collazo, Greaves & Iglesias, 2015). Each of these companies has contributed to the construction process and are struggling to increase the national production through the installation of more wind turbines off the shore of this nation. This is one of the ideas that drive the success of this country, and it would propel the country to a higher position on the overall global scale. The companies that work in China have been serving the entire Asian continent, and it is possible that China would rise and be ahead of the other countries within the continent (Dannenberg, 2014).
Environmental Implications
Even though the humans would be able to accrue great benefits from this form of energy production, its impact on the life of birds and other forms of life is not well understood. The birds, for instance, could be affected negatively by this energy source since the mills interact with them and the impact of the turbines on their livelihood is not well studied. Moreover, the form of energy would affect the marine life since it is done on the habitat of the marine organisms. It is important to study the impact of construction of this form of energy on the environment before it can be put in place. This will help to understand if the future of these organisms is safe when they have the turbines constructed in their natural ambiance. It is possible that the birds may get trapped by the turbines thus reducing their population. Moreover, the noise of the installation process may create waves in the sea or even interfere with the aquatic life. Finally, it is possible that the construction process may lead to the destruction of certain sections of the environment either offshore or along the shore. These destructions are not healthy for the purpose of environmental sustainability.
The various companies that take part in the installation of the offshore wind energy plant use various prototypes that are designed for the production of the higher amount of energy. Each company has its own design of the prototype, and the outcome of the production process varies depending on the prototypes used. The choice of the company is determined by the outcome that can achieve by their design. It is obvious that everyone would seek a more reliable design and this explains why one company would be preferred over another in the process of installation of the various forms of the offshore wind energy plants (Heier, 2014).
In conclusion, it is evident that offshore wind energy is one of the greatest current trends in the field of energy production. The wind energy is sustainable thus sustainable for the environment which needs high levels of conservation. Moreover, the amount of energy that can be produced can be increased significantly depending on the design of the turbines and the size of the area used to construct the turbines. The construction of offshore wind energy has its advantage and disadvantages. However, it is clear from the discussion that the advantages outweigh the cons thus the need to have a serious investment in this form of energy production. Every nation with a coastline is investing in this line of energy production, and it is possible that energy production with the use of oil and other non-sustainable sources would be a thing of the past in the near future. Moreover, this form of energy production should be harnessed due to the low cost of maintenance that will have positive impacts on the economy of a country. As stated earlier, the ‘future is green, ' and this is one of the routes towards achieving a green future.
References
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