Washington company plans five wind turbines off Coos Bay (DOE Grants)

The Oregonian ^ | April 20, 2013 | AP

[jazusamo]

A Washington company intends to moor five wind turbines off the Oregon coast, and hopes the project dovetails with a separate proposal for liquefied natural gas.

[jazusamo]

Short AP article, click and read about DOE subsidies.

[CMB_polarization]

Good luck on the dovetailing “with a separate proposal for liquefied natural gas” part!

[jazusamo]

Yep, they’re after the grants for the wind energy.

[cripplecreek]

The company received a $4 million grant from the Department of Energy in March. The initial grant could expand to as much as $47 million.

From what I'm seeing here in Michigan, those grants won't even begin to cover the costs (which will need to be paid again every 10 to 20 years)

[Vaquero]

Chumming the waters around with sea bird paste.

[jazusamo]

That's correct but we have wind farms in the west that are basically sitting idle because maintenance is not being performed. Investor money, federal and state grants are being ripped off and these companies are ripe for Solyndra type bankruptcies.

[Cold Heart]

This should work well. Take a concept that has no payback on shore and put it out in a stormy salt environment with the added costly marine vessel or structure which requires additional maintenance.

[cripplecreek]

They cost twice as much to erect them offshore and in this case we’re talking 3 miles offshore which will jack the cost up even more.

$4 million to erect 5 monuments to stupidity isn’t even believable.

Oregon has dams, that’s green energy that actually works every day, all day.

[Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America]

This ought to enhance the beauty of the area.. /s

How many waterfowl/seabirds will be butchered?.. Hello, environmentalists, HELLO????

[jazusamo]

Exactly...We in OR & WA are fortunate that a huge amount of power is generated from the dams on the Columbia River, cheap power.

[jazusamo]

Please bump the Freepathon or click above and donate or become a monthly donor!

[USNBandit]

The Oregon State government has a notoriously bad energy subsidy program that pays out more to the companies that produce the least power. As soon as the subsidy was enacted green energy companies realized they could collect multiple subsidies by splitting up their intended projects into multiple projects. The cost to the state has been tremendous, the green energy produced, insignificant.

[MamaDearest]

That’ll make for spectacular views (sarcasm) for tourists on what will be the former beautiful Oregon coast. Suggested locations: Cannon Beach, Astoria, Seaside, Lincoln City, Tillamook, Newport and/or Depot Bay.

[bigheadfred]

Lots of hydro in Idaho too. Not to mention the reactors out on the INL. But the windmills go up.

[cicero2k]

We have good friends in Coos Bay. In 2003 they were proposing a natural gas import terminal because the prediction was that the US production could not keep up. It was fought against. Now they are talking liquefaction for export. What a difference a few years make.

As for the wind power, this is the best location for wind turbines in the US and perhaps the capacity factor can get above 50% there. Still, would the numbers work given corrosion and maintenance costs?

[cripplecreek]

They’re wrecking some beautiful countryside here in Michigan as well.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3005572/posts

[cripplecreek]

But the windmills go up.

And the dams come out which destroys property values.

[jazusamo]

Thanks Fred, I was sure there is a lot of hydro in ID, sad to see the windmills going up too.

[jazusamo]

I don’t see how the numbers will work out unless there’s a huge increase in rates.

[MamaDearest]

A lot of Michigan is very pretty. I learned to drive in Detroit when it was a totally different place than it is now (decades ago). We vacationed at the various northern lakes and rented boats and drove to WaWa Ontario often back then.