President Joe Biden has reserved more than 700,000 acres of offshore U.S. territory for the first “offshore wind turbine farms” in the Gulf of Mexico.
Once developed, the allotment could have the potential to produce enough energy to power more than 3 million homes pending wind availability, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
“With strong winds in the evenings when we need energy the most, offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico would greatly complement Texas’ onshore renewable energy resources, help bolster our shaky electric grid and help our environment,” stated Luke Metzger, executive director of the environmentalist advocacy group Environment Texas.
Two offshore wind farms would be built on the allotment, one 24 nautical miles off the coast of Galveston and the other near Port Arthur.
Offshore wind farms have been at the forefront of the Biden administration’s pro-environmentalist plan, but progress has been minimal.
At present, only two offshore wind farms are operational in the United States, both on the East Coast, generating enough electricity to power a meager 2,500 homes.
As discussed in The Dallas Express, renewable energy produced by offshore wind farms requires the enormous spending of federal taxpayer money to fund the development of the necessary infrastructure.
It is recognized in the industry that wind turbines only last around 20-25 years. Additionally, ongoing maintenance can be pricey. As turbines age, the cost to maintain and operate them skyrockets, taking up to 25-30% of the “total levelised cost per kWh produced over the lifetime of the turbine,” according to TWI, a technical support provider for the renewables and energy storage sector.
It is acknowledged by industry experts that most pieces of wind turbines end up in landfills after decommissioning. Although the blades are often made of recyclable materials, massive wire saws and other equipment are required to break up the durable fiberglass blades, a solution that is often expensive and unrealistic, according to energy analyst James Gignac.
In an opinion piece published by The Hill, energy policy analyst Peter Z. Grossman explained, “Both solar and wind are intermittent. Industries can’t plan production if electric power depends on the weather … Blackouts are unavoidable with solar and wind because the wind can stop blowing strongly, sometimes for weeks, and the sun sets daily and may be blocked by clouds for many days consecutively.”
