The Trouble With Offshore Wind
No swings, only whirligigs
Posted on 10 Aug 25
by JitIn
Offshore wind harvesters are supposed to be one of the answers to the “climate crisis.” It seems unlikely to me. We know and have discussed one of the major weaknesses of this generation mechanism, its unpredictability. In a rational world, that alone would discount it as the go-to for any modern civilisation. Its characteristics are such that the mugs installing it aren’t the ones making it; nor will they/can they ever be.
If the offshore wind harvesters have anything going for them, it is that they emit (almost) no carbon dioxide in the operational phase.
If anyone can think of another advantage of offshore wind, do enlighten me. (I may have a few to share below.)
To place on the other side of the scale, we have quite a list of potential negative impacts. Not all of these are environmental, and many of them are of minor importance. Nevertheless, I thought it might be worthwhile to sketch out some of the potential impacts of a “typical” North Sea wind harvester deployment. The headings are in part garnered from the environment statement for the Norfolk Boreas wind development. They apply just as well up and down the North Sea, differing only in the specifics.
https://cliscep.com/2025/08/10/the-trouble-with-offshore-wind/
