There are places where the ocean isn't too deep where wind turbine can be installed. The first offshore wind farms that can float have been built in the past few years.
South Korea is working on a massive project that could be completed in the next few years, and Scotland and Portugal have floating wind turbines.
The US is taking seriously the issue of offshore wind. The goal of the Biden administration is to reduce the cost of floating offshore wind by 70% by the end of the 20th century. There will be two major areas of the sea at an auction in December.
It is almost as difficult to build structures that float in the ocean and generate electricity as it is to build it. The cost of floating turbine has been very high. It has been difficult to get coastal communities on board with floating offshore wind projects.
I will be speaking with Alla Weinstein at EmTech. She has been at the forefront of efforts to build floating offshore wind, and she is going to talk about what she thinks is realistic for the industry in the future.
If the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, people want to turn on the lights and keep their fridge running. Building a renewable grid will require balancing out the intermittent sources of electricity.
It's looking like batteries will be a big piece of accounting for variations in wind and solar. According to the IEA, the world will need more grid storage than has been installed.
The majority of batteries used on the grid are similar to the ones that power phones, laptops, and electric cars.
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