(Obama Dept. of Interior) All US electricity demands could be met by (offshore) wind power

[jpak]

http://www.lowcarboneconomy.com/community_content/_low_carbon_news/5200

Offshore wind turbines could meet all of the US' electricity needs, according to a report from the country's interior department.

Speaking at a renewable energy conference, secretary of the interior Ken Salazar said wind off the coasts of the lower 48 states had the capacity to generate a total of 1,900 gigawatts.

"The wind potential off the coasts of the lower 48 states actually exceeds our entire US electricity demand," he said.

While he was optimistic about the potential for a clean energy future, he also noted that "the realities of climate change are upon us" and highlighted a range of problems to which wind energy could be a solution.

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[quidam56]

1. Appalachia is turning into a toxic waste dump third world America

http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=138

[MrPerson]

2. Hell I could fart a megawatt just by myself.

[RC]

3. And how are they going to get any of that power 1500 miles to the middle of the North

American continent?

[kristopher]

4. Have you heard of the area Pickens plans to build wind farms?

That too is a vary large resource and it's closer to the middle of the country.

According to the same report, 78 percent of the electricity used in the US is used in the coastal states.

[Djinn]

9. I'm a bit clueless on this stuff

not really my area but I'd expect it's the same way that electricity is currently supplied to me from a brown coal station 200kms away.

[NickB79]

12. The middle of the American continent would already be dotted with wind farms

By the time offshore wind farms of this magnitude would be implemented. While offshore wind farms have the advantage of more consistent winds, it is generally cheaper to build on land. There is no lack of wind throughout the Great Plains, from North Dakota on down to Texas.

[kristopher]

13. Initial price isn't the only determinant.

Profitability is a function of cost, production, and marketability. The advantage of offshore is that production values are significantly higher and the resource is located in very close proximity to some of the heaviest demand in the nation. There are 4 projects on the books and more in the pipeline. The biggest constraint is the vessel needed to build the offshore farms. As of now, there is only one in the world properly equipped to do the job.
Considering the amount of time it takes to build transmission capacity, I'd expect the midAtlantic offshore region to experience significant development at least as rapidly as the plains.

[ConcernedCanuk]

5. Coal mine robber barons will never let it happen.

.
.
.

There's lots of coal left, the coal barons could care less if it ruins the environment or kills it's employees.

There's lots of unemployed workers out there for replacements.

Rich get richer, poor get poorer; nothing has changed.

(sigh)

[Systematic Chaos]

6. Any day now, man.

[glitch]

7. Now we're heading in the right direction.

We've got a lot of distance to make up for, thanks to bushies. But who knows, we may get there after all.

[Djinn]

8. tell that to the good burghers of Toora in Victoria

they despise the wind farms down their way, bizarrely these people have lived down wind from the coal fired power plant for generations but actually think a couple of turbines on some scrappy crappy hills is worse, boggles the mind.

[Morgan Wick]

10. And what about...

...the fish that could be impacted, or the boats that might have to navigate around the windmills?

[XemaSab]

11. More like

"What about the albatrosses and shearwaters?" x(