Europe could replace oil with offshore wind farms

The Netherlands' Society for Nature and Environment recently commissioned a plan for a super ring of wind farms in the North Sea that could generate 13,400 terawatt hours of electricity.

The company responsible for the design, OMA, sees the wind farm serving all seven countries that surround the sea, leading to energy independence for Europe. The amount of energy that the propose wind farm would create would allow Europe to forgo oil imports from Russia and the Gulf states by 2050.

Other highlights of the plan include a ban on fishing within the wind farm site, which means the farm would create a protective barrier for the area's marine life. Also, the project would include a new international institute for renewable energy that would oversee the project and hopefully offer expertise to the rest of the world.

The society said that large, long-term investments in renewable energy are needed over many short-term incentives and I agree. When scientists and designers come up with an ideathat could effectively replace large imports of oil, it's worth betting on. I truly hope that this idea makes it past the drawing board. The world needs a great example of true energy independence.

To download a PDF of the OMA plan, click here.

via Treehugger