What would an off-shore wind farm look like?
On Friday, the GreenInc blog at the NYTimes posted this picture of what wind turbines might look like at various distances off shore.
Unfortunately for them, I beat them to it by almost a year. If you will, please recall my post from November 13, 2007.
Where's the love NYT?
Do you think they care?
No. And I bet someone beat YOU to your post. The internet is ALL about recycling memes, stories and ideas...
Posted by: David Zetland | October 06, 2008 at 11:50 AM
How much doe is cost to maintain a wind farm 2 miles off shore vs 20? What is it worth if it looks half the size, one quarter?
Posted by: hydra | October 06, 2008 at 02:45 PM
I don't get it. Are those special buoys? I've never seen floating numbers and letters like that. The turbines by themselves seem kinda cool, but I can understand why the Kennedys wouldn't want to look out their window and see that.
Posted by: Bob Murphy | October 06, 2008 at 08:52 PM
HELLO - Showing a picture with and without turbines is not the same as showing turbines at various distances. That's the whole point - at a far enough distance you can barely see them. Now, it a simple balencing of the MC of additional maintenance cost of turbines at increased distances versus gains from less visual impairment.
Posted by: Brian | October 07, 2008 at 01:45 PM
Brian,
HELLO! (why are we shouting?). If you click on my second picture and look very carefully directly above the second light post from teh right, you will see a set of turbines that look strikingly similar to the 15 or 20 mile turbines in the NYT picture.
Tim
Posted by: Tim Haab | October 07, 2008 at 02:07 PM
What I'm wondering is why you environmental economists aren't talking about the recreational benefits of these offshore structures. Any object that big in the ocean is going to be an excellent fishing spot, and after a few years should become a nice artificial reef for scuba diving.
On the other hand, they'll be potential navigational hazards for recreational boaters, some of whom will inevitably whack even well-charted obstacles. But then, those folks will probably find something to hit no matter what.
Posted by: Alan Dove | October 07, 2008 at 03:03 PM
Having just come back from Euroland, I have to say that I liked the way large turbines looked. It's fun to pretend we don't consume large quantities of energy by hiding the plants way out in the sticks, but it is just fantasy. By putting the energy converter machine within viewing distance, perhaps it will make people think more about the thing which makes their comfortable lives possible.
Also, how big is the turbine used in the "photo"? I noted several sizes, from massive in Germany to big in Belgium.
Posted by: Eric H | October 10, 2008 at 10:56 PM