Aftermaths of Energy Overconsumption - Essay Example

? Energy-What next? Energy-what next? Introduction The UK has its current population spending so much to accommo sophisticated networks, which will result to increased power-user financial hardships. In addition to other extra costs such as the increase in renewable obligation, the future expenditure to final consumers will be significantly more costly than today. David Hirst, Director of Ainsty Risk Consulting wonders if engineers are doing enough to reduce general consumption and to use energy in a more efficient way. Offshore wind power is a renewable technology with the capacity to supply significant energy in a more sustainable manner. Offshore wind firms are more complex, inclusive of turbines, platforms, grids, cables, substations, interconnection and related construction activities. Currently, construction activities have centered in many rejoins of the U.K, representing over 3300MW of the entire capacity (Jay, 2008). I support the construction of these offshore winds with long-term charters of numerous highly specialized construction vessels and facilities to put up with the increasing dimensions of contemporary support structures, wind turbines, and balance of plant. Offshore wind farms are vital in their contribution to energy supply If these firms are constructed, they will be a suitable technology to meat the growing electricity demand, in a clean and sustainable way. Such firms will have minimal environmental impacts if they are logically well located relative to the places of electricity need. Further, higher wind speeds will increase energy production, since energy production is a purpose of the cube of the wind speed. I expect that a significant part of the future widely spread wind energy usage in U.K will be from offshore sites. Huge offshore wind farms are already in the planning phase of construction in several countries and especially in Europe. Just like Hirts put it, financial payback or economic viability of the farms depend largely on the renewable obligation Certificates, as well as on favorable wind conditions as compared to the sites constructed on land, I argue that the higher energy outcome has to recompense the extra installation and continuance costs. In constructing these farms, particularly siting large projects, a reliable and efficient offshore wind prediction is crucial (Burton & Jenkins, 2011). Present estimates based partially on U.K experience indicate that offshore wind energy can cost less than six cents per KW. In addition, capital costs are about 30-50 percent higher than those onshore because of bigger machine sizes, transporting and installing costs at the sea, particularly offset by high-energy productions. However, just like onshore, I expect these prices to drop as technology advances and managers get more experience. As the European Wind Energy Association (2012) affirms, most offshore farms will be sited on monopiles or constructed on gravity foundations, there will be concrete structures stabilized by water or sand to allow the turbine towers to fit in. Monopiles must be included in these installations. They are long steel pipes, which are stroked, vibrated or drilled into the seabed to security levels then towers and platforms are installed on top of them. They will have a technical difficulty in mounting turbines on floating constructions, and monopiles get more expensive as one progress deeper into the water. In my opinion, technology has been growing rapidly for the past years and I can predict that technical advancements may make suspended offshore wind farms to be economically realistic in the future. Offshore wind farms are important in energy providence. I support the construction of these farms basing on several factors. The resource, which is wind energy indirectly from the sun is extremely large, the costs of energy, though originally higher than those of onshore are affordable than most renewable technologies, and the associated risks are low. Constructing wind turbines at sea will limit the restraints that can be experienced on land, like planning challenges and visual impacts. Additional contributions will also include many opportunities to put in place new technologies to increase energy yield and more costly maintenance. Nonetheless, such wind farms will be larger to give economies of scale to cover all the costs. Contributions of offshore wind farms to the environment Hirst presents that Centrica’s 540MW Docking shoal was scrapped as a result of potential environmental harm, particularly in killing birds. I do agree with this argument, because noise from the turbines move under water and interrupt sea life. In this sense, potential site-specific effects on bats or birds can be minimized or prevented by careful siting and planning of the constructions, or else compensated or mitigated. Wind farm developers are expected to carry out Environmental Impact Assessments to weigh all possible noticeable environmental impacts and meet all the needed legislations before they commence construction. Most important, this technology uses almost no water; a source that will become more scarce in the near future (Koller, Koppel, & Wolfgang , 2006). The environmental impacts of these farms have been significantly reduced in contrast to those onshore. Thus, both visual impact and noise are not likely to be issues, though some considerations have to be applied. For instance, there could be an impact on the environment caused by carrying out tasks offshore, including localized disruption of the seabed. Several studies on already existing sites show that some constructions serve as artificial reefs, which lead to an increase in fish numbers from the new food supply. According to Wiser & Bolinger (2005), there is a positive effect of these farms on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas reductions and water conservation in comparison to situations where there is no wind growth. However, striking this energy resource at this level will involve large capital investments to construct wind capacity and expand transmission systems. Wind power from such farms will be a critical step in a broad, future strategy to reduce water pollution, air pollution, and worldwide climate change related to traditional power generation technologies. Generating 20% of the U.K energy from offshore wind farms could avoid close to 825 million metric CO2 ton emissions in the electric field by 2030. This scenario would as well reduce increasing emissions from electrics in the future by over 7,600million metric CO2. I think that reducing carbon dioxide emissions is not the only benefit from wind energy, but could be accomplished under other power-mix scenarios. Wind energy has a positive impact on energy security, air quality, and employment. Given costs in relation to other energy options, wind energy can have a 30-35% share of the entire electricity supply in a decade years to come. The use of low-greenhouse gas release technologies would be needed to achieve cost reductions and stabilization (Sundberg & Derman, 1999). Locally, wind energy affects biodiversity in a positive way, and gives a chance to practice ecological restoration. For example, the wind farms are rapidly inhabited by sea life, and Turbines are almost wholly recyclable. Since wind energy generation utilizes a minimal amount of water, too much water consumption will be avoided through 2030, thus increasing annual savings. These savings will decrease the anticipated yearly water consumption for power generation in the future by 17% (Black & Veatch, 2007). With water being conserved, these farms can be an added advantage for the protection of particular marine ecosystems and gives a chance to other up-coming uses of sea water to be developed, most exclusively offshore aquaculture that can gain from the substructures of the offshore wind farms. It seem likely if I predict that by 2020, the utilization of energy from these farms will be over 30 times greater than the present established capacity of offshore wind farms. Offshore wind farms contribution to energy security and stability I realize that any nation should diversify its energy range so that disruption in supply affecting one source will not considerably disturb the national economy. Creating local energy resources with recognizable and stable costs will eventually improve energy security and stability. When electric utilities own wind turbines, energy prices are anticipated to remain comparatively predictable and flat for the life of the wind farm, with the reason that no fuel expenditures are incurred and assuming that the farms are well maintained. BTM Consult update (2007) shows that, constructing offshore wind farms increases stability and energy security through diversifying a country’s power portfolio. In the same way that people investing for retirement are encouraged to expand investments in various companies, stocks, bonds, and other sectors, energy diversification supplies through wind energy helps to distribute risks and even out electric rates for consumers. With wind farms in place, dependence on foreign energy sources will be reduced. As a local energy source, power from these farms will not require imported fuel, and thus the turbine constituents can be produced locally. Energy security concerns will probably increase in the near future if wind energy leads in new generation supply. Continuous dependence on sources from fossil energy can expose a nation to supply uncertainties and price risks. Even though the electric field relies very narrowly on petroleum, which is a big energy security threat, using wind energy as a renewable domestic energy can improve the energy security through an increase in price stability and energy diversity. Conclusion Construction of offshore wind farms is a vital step in the energy sector. However, its operation and maintenance is more expensive and difficult compared to equivalent onshore farms. The issue of availability should be addressed using improvements in turbine reliability. Developments in technology will most likely improve the reliability and economics of wind farms to enhance their contributions in energy yields, in environment, and in energy security. References Black, M &Veatch K, 2007, Twenty percent wind energy penetration in the United State: A technical analysis of the energy resource, Walnut Creek, CA. BTM Consult, 2007, International Wind Energy Development, World Market Update 2007, Ringkobing: Denmark: BTM. Wiser, R & Bollinger, M 2005, Easing the Natural Gas Crisis: Reducing natural gas prices through increased deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency, Berkeley: Berkeley Lab. Sundberg, J & Derman M, 1999, Wind power and grey seals: An impact assessment of potential effects by sea-based wind power plants on local seal population, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Koller, J. Koppel, J, & Wolfgang P, 2006, Offshore wind energy: Research on environmental impacts, New York: Springer Publishers. Jay. S, 2008, At the Margins of Planning: Offshore wind farms in the United Kingdom, New York: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Burton, T. and Jenkins, N, 2011, Wind energy handbook, New York: John Willey Sons. Kaiser, M & Snyder, B, 2012, Offshore wind energy cost modeling: Installation and decommissioning, New York: Springer Publishers. European Wind Energy Association, 2012, Wind Energy - The Facts: "A guide to the technology, economics and future of wind power," London: Earthscan. Committee on Offshore Wind Energy Turbine Structural and Operating Safety, 2011, Structural integrity of offshore wind turbines: Oversight of design, fabrication, and installation, Cambridge: Transportation Research Board. Read More