ORE Catapult and Vattenfall collaboration at Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm

[@MoosesValley]

Offshore Wind has many advantages over on-shore wind, including: (1) You can erect larger, more powerful, more efficient wind turbines because you can use large ships instead of long trucks to transport components. (2).Offshore wind provides a higher capacity factory, meaning that the turbines produce more energy, more often than on-shore wind. Approx 45-55% instead of 35-45%. (3). With Offshore wind, you don't need to clear trees or vegetation, you don't need to bulldoze roads along ridges and up to the turbines site, like you need to do with on-shore wind. (4). The Offshore turbines can be sited in water well away from human habitation (houses, roads) and well away from trees and forests, ... so there *should* be less impact on humans and wildlife. (I hope so). And so on. But there are disadvantages as well with Offshore wind - storms, strong currents, massive waves, more difficult access for maintenance, corrosion, etc. And also the potential issues wind the turbines and/or high voltage / high amperage undersea transmission cables to migrating whales and other sea life. Solar Power seems like a "no brainer" - it has no moving parts, nearly zero maintenance, is cheap, clean, and getting cleaner all the time. Cleaner methods of production and more complete recycling at end of life are both being actively pursued. Putting solar panels on existing and new houses, shopping malls, warehouses, factories, over cars in car parks, etc makes a lot of sense and provides no harm to humans or wildlife. I have solar panels and solar hot water on my old farm house, and I export 10x more energy to the grid than I use, and I am planning to export more electricity and (by adding batteries, pumped hydro, etc) I am aiming for 24/7 production in the future. Anyway, I hope we are doing the right thing with solar, wind, ... and that future generations wont curse us for not going with Nuclear Fission or some other existing / proven power source.