No more onshore windfarms - Move to the sea

Wind is part of the energy mosaic that will help us reduce our impact on climate change but despite that wind farms are not always welcome by the communities expected to host them.

That is understandable and it is increasingly difficult to understand is why we still build onshore windfarms.

Yesterday’s Offshore Wind Conference, hosted by the Irish Wind Energy Association in Dublin was told that Ireland is the only European country with an Atlantic coastline that does not have significant offshore wind platforms.

The cost advantage this offers onshore developers and the reality that most rural communities are not in a position to successfully oppose windfarms backed by multi-million investments are probably the primary reasons for this.

The conference heard that “tremendous” progress has been made on offshore energy generation over the past 18 months, but that major infrastructure obstacles persist.

It is time to tilt the balance to sea-based windfarms and if that means increasing opposition, and cutting supports, to land-based projects so be it.