Turbine Trouble: Ill Wind Blows for German Offshore Industry

[FBaggins]

Only recently, the offshore wind industry was seen as an opportunity to regenerate Germany's coast. But amid changing political attitudes and spiraling costs, several companies are struggling to survive. Is the wind boom over before it even really began?

...snip...

Providing clean electricity to 120,000 households, Riffgat was expected to become a milestone of the federal government's shift away from nuclear power and toward green energy. But the dedication of the first commercial German wind farm in the North Sea on August 10 is set to be a low-key affair. Chancellor Angela Merkel cancelled her scheduled appearance. And Environment Minister Peter Altmaier and European Union Energy Commission Günther Oettinger, both members of Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), have hesitated to accept the invitation from EWE, an energy company based in the northern German city of Oldenburg.

The reason is that Riffgat has a cosmetic defect: the wind farm is still missing part of its power line to the mainland. For the time being, instead of producing energy, Riffgat is actually consuming it. To prevent the rotors from corroding in the salty air, they have to be supplied with electricity produced with diesel generators. Grid operator Tennet is responsible for the missing power line. The delay is costing EWE millions of euros, costs that will eventually be passed on to electricity customers. Instead of being a showcase project, Riffgat has become a symbol of the government's failed offshore wind policy.

...snip...

Half a dozen wind farms are still being built in the North Sea, but there are no follow-up contracts. "The market has collapsed," says Ronny Meyer, the managing director of Windenergie Agentur (WAB), based in the northern port city of Bremerhaven. Riffgat developer EWE also doesn't want to invest in additional offshore turbines.


http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-offshore-wind-industry-goes-from-boom-to-bust-a-914158.html

Cost overruns... delays... cancelations... and the public picking up the tab?

Who knew they made nuclear offshore wind farms?

[wtmusic]

1. They're more expensive than onshore nuclear windfarms

but maybe Poland can help

[pscot]

3. This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise

hilarious.

[pscot]

2. The problems are political, not technical

Southern pols saw a chance to cut off a fat slab of pork. There are turbines humming on every mole hill in Bavaria while the Nordsee developments are starved for capital. These southern installations very efficient, so costs are high, light bills are going up and the Volk have soured on the project. Meanwhile they're burning more brown coal this year than they did last. Anyone who thinks we're going to deal with our carbon problem before the whip comes down is delusional. This is the second article, by the way, Spiegel has done on this, or maybe it's just a rehash.

[kristopher]

4. Spiegel

Anyone who doesn't recognize the disinformation campaign targeting renewables isn't paying attention.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/112750654

[pscot]

5. The piece I read earlier seemed less biased

This iteration appears to have a definite point of view.

[FBaggins]

7. Perhaps... like "vapor" and "steam"... you need to look up "disinformation"

Statements that are factually correct are not disinformation. They can be part of a spin campaign... but they have to be false to be disinformation.

Feel free to point out the apparent factual statements that are not actually facts.

Are there follow-on contracts for the next wave of offshore wind farms? Is the quoted WAB head lying? Misquoted? Did CSC not lay off their workforce? Or the Bard employees that built the turbines? Did Strabag not just shut down and table over a dozen planned offshore wind farms? Is Riffgat actually generating and the nuclear spin machine has succeeded in hiding it from the rest of the country?

[phantom power]

6. this post must be disinformation

because... it's mean to post any content that doesn't have its lips planted firmly on the ass of the renewable energy industry. Or something. But I'm only saying that because I'm a paid crypto-conservative nuclear industry running-dog.