Another Menace to Navigation

[RaymondR]

An 1,800 square kilometer area of coastal seas between Swansea and Port Stevens on the New South Wales coast of eastern Australia has been designated as a wind farm reserve. The second one designated during the last twelve months. As was the case in the previous designation the designated area is conveniently close to large existing coal fired power station areas but distant enough from the large city consumers to avoid visual polutlon of the large cities sea vistas and clear of their port access commercial shipping lanes.

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[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

As was the case in the previous designation the designated area is conveniently close to large existing coal fired power station areas but distant enough from the large city consumers to avoid visual polutlon of the large cities sea vistas and clear of their port access commercial shipping lanes.

So... those are good things, right?

[Nautes]

Usual suspects doin' werk...

[SailingHarmonie]

I wonder why it is that I never see anybody complain about offshore oil drilling or production platforms being a hazard to navigation?

Are you REALLY concerned about sailing into to a wind platform? Do they jump out from behind a wave to surprise you? I have so many other things to worry about out on the ocean, large charted structures like this are the very least of my concerns at sea.

[Don C L]

I hate to admit it, but in my neighborhood I use the oil platforms when I am navigating.. and in my younger days, when there was no GPS, I was gratified on more than one occasion to find an oil rig in the fog with the right name on it!

[RaymondR]

Oil platforms are generally well lit whilst working and removed after the oil or gas is depleted. I suspect that the offshore wind folly companies will just go broke and these things will become derelict and fall down and become unmarked hazards.

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[s/v Jedi]

You can wait for the slaughter of birds, throwing themselves at beaches of whales in massive quantities and of course the orca attacks when those things go active.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

Oil platforms are generally well lit whilst working and removed after the oil or gas is depleted. I suspect that the offshore wind folly companies will just go broke and these things will become derelict and fall down and become unmarked hazards.

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I take it you have never sailed offshore Louisiana.

[Ryban]

Again, the arguments about "what about the birds and the whales" are always missing when we talk about the enormous toll burning fossil fuels have had on the planet, but suddenly present when we talk about wind.

If it was actually about the birds and the whales, there should be uproar over glass windows on buildings, outdoor cats, global shipping (for all the stuff we buy from China and all the LNG we export), and reckless fishing practices. All of which contribute to far more bird and whale deaths.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Ryban

Again, the arguments about "what about the birds and the whales" are always missing when we talk about the enormous toll burning fossil fuels have had on the planet, but suddenly present when we talk about wind.

If it was actually about the birds and the whales, there should be uproar over glass windows on buildings, outdoor cats, global shipping (for all the stuff we buy from China and all the LNG we export), and reckless fishing practices. All of which contribute to far more bird and whale deaths.

Are you under a rock? There -is- uproar over outdoor cats etc.

Also, please explain the difference in impact of burning fossil fuels vs non-fossil fuels like wood, turf etc.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Are you under a rock? There -is- uproar over outdoor cats etc.

Also, please explain the difference in impact of burning fossil fuels vs non-fossil fuels like wood, turf etc.

Big difference. I live in a wood heated house, open fire in the living area , Esse stove in the galley. All firewood is cut on the farm - it keeps me fit - we have about 30 hectares under timber - I am capturing far more CO2 than I am releasing from my fires.

Biggest issue with wood burning is de-aforestation (sp?) in poor countries.

[GordMay]

On Wednesday, July 12/23, Australia’s federal government declared the Hunter region, off New South Wales, as its second offshore wind development zone, with the potential to accommodate up to 5 GW of turbine capacity.
The zone stretches over 1,800 sq km, between Swansea and Port Stephens, and if fully developed, could provide electricity for around 4.2 million homes.
The installation of any infrastructure within the area will be limited to a height of 260 metres, to address aviation safety. Turbines will be sited around 20 km away from the coast in the north, and over 35 km in the south.

The Bass Strait off Gippsland was declared Australia’s first offshore wind zone, at the end of 2022]. It attracted proposals for nearly 40 GW of solar, onshore and offshore wind, battery energy storage, and pumped hydro storage capacity.

The Australian federal government has also opened public consultation on an offshore wind zone in the Southern Ocean, which encompasses the states of Victoria and South Australia, and covers 5,100 square kilometres, stretching from Warrnambool, in Victoria, to Port MacDonnell, in South Australia.
This is the third zone, for which consultation has been launched, of the six zones identified for offshore wind development, last year.
The offshore wind zone has the potential to accommodate up to 14 GW of offshore wind capacity.

Developers are required to apply for a Feasibility Licence, under the “Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021", which would allow feasibility studies, including detailed environmental and technical studies, to be undertaken to validate the suitability of the location, and inform project design, and the environmental impact assessment process.

The Act came into effect on 2 June 2022 and provides a licensing framework to enable the construction, operation, and decommissioning of offshore renewable energy projects, in Commonwealth waters.
Under the framework, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) is the Offshore Infrastructure Regulator. They have responsibility for overseeing work health and safety, environmental management, infrastructure integrity, and financial security, for offshore infrastructure activities.

During the feasibility licence stage, developers will be required to undertake further consultation on individual proposals, including detailed environmental assessments, and impacts on other marine users, and stakeholders.

Feasibility licence applications, for offshore wind projects, in the Hunter region, will open from 8 August until 14 November 2023.
This might be an appropriate time/place, to make your evidence based opinions, known.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Big difference. I live in a wood heated house, open fire in the living area , Esse stove in the galley. All firewood is cut on the farm - it keeps me fit - we have about 30 hectares under timber - I am capturing far more CO2 than I am releasing from my fires.

Biggest issue with wood burning is de-aforestation (sp?) in poor countries.

You write “big difference” and then nothing that makes any difference. If you would stop burning the trees, let them fall where they stand and decompose naturally, while using oil fired heating, your CO2 footprint would improve, while your air particle pollution would greatly reduce.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

You write “big difference” and then nothing that makes any difference. If you would stop burning the trees, let them fall where they stand and decompose naturally, while using oil fired heating, your CO2 footprint would improve, while your air particle pollution would greatly reduce.

I have no CO2 footprint from burning wood.
The trees I cut up died and fell years ago and are nicely seasoned. Particle pollution ? Minimal with my sort of firewood.

Different matter in some places such as Tasmania esp Launceston where they would cut and burn green timber which coupled with a typical inversion layer in the winter lead to lots of respiratory illness - I think they banned wood fires in Lonny years ago.

Oil heating ? Unknown hereabouts. Gas is going out of fashion - renewable electricity is the go.

Back in the day the SEC in this state used to push electricity as a 'clean fuel'.
Yup - produced by thermal power stations burning brown coal - possibly the dirtiest fuel known to man.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I have no CO2 footprint from burning wood.
The trees I cut up died and fell years ago and are nicely seasoned. Particle pollution ? Minimal with my sort of firewood.

Different matter in some places such as Tasmania esp Launceston where they would cut and burn green timber which coupled with a typical inversion layer in the winter lead to lots of respiratory illness - I think they banned wood fires in Lonny years ago.

Oil heating ? Unknown hereabouts. Gas is going out of fashion - renewable electricity is the go.

Back in the day the SEC in this state used to push electricity as a 'clean fuel'.
Yup - produced by thermal power stations burning brown coal - possibly the dirtiest fuel known to man.

Your supporting arguments are lacking solid substance. You act like you don’t have any negative effects on the environment, like if you wouldn’t even be there. But you burn wood and that creates CO2 because you unlock it from the trees, which ultimately would have become oil if you had nature do it’s thing.
Also, you expell a lot of particles by burning wood in an open fire. Much more than from oil or gas fired heating systems.

Yet you feel morally above those who don’t want wind parks at sea. You don’t care about the devastation they cause.