Wind farm strategy all at sea?

EXPERTS tell us Ireland has the best ocean wind and wave power in Europe, so why then are developers pressing ahead with controversial wind farms on land? A mindset objecting to turbines and overland pylons — similar to the public mood opposing dumps in the past — is growing, with communities up in arms around the country.

A solution might be to focus on building offshore wind farms, well away from people. While it is more expensive, they are many advantages — not least the fact that there are better wind speeds at sea.

Such wind farms could also be located close to major urban centres, ruling out the need for overland pylons and transmission lines, while the impact of size and noise would be less lessened by distance.