Sir, – Shallow-water sites are an essential requirement for fixed-bottom offshore wind projects in order to facilitate the construction of turbine foundations, as waters more than 60 metres deep are generally not feasible for such turbines based on current technology. This, and its proximity to Dublin, may have something to do with why the area around Kish Lighthouse was chosen as the waters in that area are not more than 2 to 26 metres deep and not on shipping lanes.
The UK currently has 18 offshore wind farms, nine of which are in the Irish Sea. The only Irish offshore wind farm is in the Arklow Bank.
Ireland is fast running out of options. We have legislated against nuclear energy, no further licences for oil or gas exploration will be granted and our power stations no longer burn peat, though they still burn wood pellets imported from the southern US where hardwood forests are felled for this purpose. We have no working coal mines. It is planned to build up to 61 wind farms in the Kish area which would yield up to 900 megawatts in energy – enough for the needs of 900,000 homes.
Compared to solar panels, wind turbines release less CO2 into the atmosphere, consume less energy, and produce more energy overall.
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Granted, they come with a visual impact which is unsightly but, in the grand scheme of things, have we any choice? – Yours, etc,
MANUS SWEENEY,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.