Offshore wind energy is an economic and cultural wrecking ball

December 19, 2024

OPINION by SHERI HAFER

This is in response to those downplaying the impacts from the offshore wind industrial complex planned off our Morro Bay coast. Various folks have stated they won’t use our ports, the view shed won’t be impacted, and there are minimal impacts on the ocean.  They have also stated natural gas produces more emissions than offshore wind.

While it is true the beautiful tourist ports of Morro Bay and Avila Beach will not likely be used at first for large industrial offshore wind facilities, it is highly likely, that in the long term it will be necessary.

The current plan to tow, maintain, and repair 200 to 300 approximately 1000-foot-high wind turbines from a facility 250 miles away is not practical.I t is dangerous to not have a “safe harbor” for mooring the 300 plus foot service and operation vessels (SOV) and massive wind turbine platforms (the size of a baseball field) that is close.

Weather will become a factor! Guaranteed. There are already companies looking into putting in a “clean energy terminal” at Port San Luis. We have been told a 3000’ pier would be necessary in Port San Luis to accommodate the SOVs. Unfortunately, the only viable location for a pier that size is at Avilla’s “Dog Beach.”

I disagree with the wind farms not being “visually obtrusive.” The view-shed is very important to Californians and tourist. The Big Sur coastline is famous for its spectacular unobstructed ocean views. We have been told that you will be able to see the wind turbines from 40 miles away on a clear day. More visible, will be the giant substations that convert the AC to DC current. These will be close to shore and there will be three to eight of them lining our coast.

The other thing that will be highly visible is the large service and operation vessels (SOV). Because each wind turbine requires hundreds of gallons of gear oil that must be changed out regularly and other repairs and maintenance, the SOVs will be out there at all times. Also, the SOV positioning thrusters will cause noise pollution up to 190 dB, and will increase large ship traffic, increasing the chances of whale strikes.

Other considerations will be the multiple High Voltage Export Cables coming to shore. The planned landing for these cables is a popular public beach between Cayucos and Morro Bay also called “dog beach.” These cables will be unsafe for the public to be near, so will take away public access to this area.

Some have reported that natural gas produces 40 times more greenhouse gas emissions than offshore wind. I find  that hard to swallow. I presume life cycle analysis was done by computer-modeling. I find that junk in results in junk out on computers.

There are multiple reasons why offshore wind energy is not “green” and is a much worse alternative than natural gas. Offshore wind will require a large carbon footprint for construction and maintenance, produce tons of unrecylable waste, leak heavy gear oil, and leak electromagnetic fields from the cables that frequently fail. EMFs have been proven to cause deformities in invertebrates and alter behavior for sensitive species.

Offshore wind turbines and cables can leak sulfur hexafluoride which is 23,500 times greater global warming potential than CO2. It will block northwest winds reducing upwellings and warming surface waters. Offshore wind will require thousands of miles of Sea Space (4500 for 35 GW according to the CEC) devastating the commercial fishing industry and have devastating impacts on sea birds and marine life that natural gas can never claim.

Natural gas burns clean, is abundant, and provides high inertia reliable power. Most people I know, like using gas to cook, dry their cloths, and heat their homes. I don’t understand why it is being “demonized.”

The problem with wind energy is that it provides low inertia unreliable energy for many reasons. Offshore wind energy is estimated to be 40% or less efficient.

Much of the time they will not working for several reasons: The wind does not always blow; sometimes for long periods. They often break or need maintenance, especially floating technology that is very immature and never developed on a large scale. The “floating” offshore platforms pitch: if they tilt more than 7 degrees in large swells they must be turned off. If the wind blows greater than 30 knots, they must be turned off.

The Morro Bay wind farm is close to military flight patterns and missile defense systems, so the Department of Defense is requiring shutdowns for at least 600 hours a year for training maneuvers. Because of all this time the wind turbines are not producing power, we will rely on other forms of reliable power like nuclear and natural gas to keep the lights on. Offshore wind will provide a very small percentage of power to the grid. Net zero is an expensive fantasy.

If we look at the cost of energy in countries that are highly invested in offshore wind energy, their energy costs have gone up exponentially. Since the United Kingdom began investing billions into offshore wind, the cost of electricity has quintupled. The United Kingdom has the second highest cost of electricity in the world! This is causing many to enter “energy poverty.” It is too expensive for low- and middle-income people to afford electricity causing people to limit their use to a few hours per day. It has also discouraged many from doing business in their country and inflating costs across the board -wreaking havoc on their economy.

Offshore wind is a losing proposition on multiple levels. Why do we want to follow Europe over that cliff? Why waste money on offshore wind energy development when it could be spent on more environmentally friendly and economically practical clean energy options for Californians?