Bergensia
Articles

The public health benefits of adding offshore wind to the grid

By 3 Mins Read

Offshore Wind Energy: The first offshore wind project was installed off the coast of Denmark in 1991. Since that time, commercial-scale offshore wind facilities have been operating in shallow waters around the world, mostly in Europe. Nysted Wind Facility, 8-12 miles offshore Denmark, the North Sea.  
 (Credit: National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

Jonathan Buonocore, Harvard University

New plans to build two commercial offshore wind farms near the Massachusetts and Rhode Island coasts have sparked a lot of discussion about the vast potential of this previously untapped source of electricity.

But as an environmental health and climate researcher, I’m intrigued by how this gust of offshore wind power may improve public health. Replacing fossil fuels with wind and solar energy, research shows, can reduce risks of asthma, hospitalizations and heart attacks. In turn, that can save lives.

So my colleagues and I calculated the health impact of generating electricity through offshore wind turbines – which until now the U.S. has barely begun to do.

Greening the grid

New England gets almost none of its electricity from burning coal and more than three-quarters of it from burning natural gas and operating nuclear reactors. The rest is from hydropower and from renewable energy, including wind and solar power and the burning of wood and refuse.

The health benefits of moving to wind power would be significant, particularly for regions that rely more heavily on coal and oil to generate electricity.

Replacing coal and oil with offshore wind will reduce emissions of air pollutants like fine particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. These pollutants can form smog, soot and ozone. When people downwind are exposed to them, they can develop incapacitating and deadly diseases.

Saving 13 lives a year

When my colleagues and I studied what would happen if offshore wind farms were installed off the Mid-Atlantic coast, we determined that they would bring about health and climate benefits.

We projected that a 1,100-megawatt wind farm off the coast of New Jersey, a bit smaller than the two approved offshore wind farms, would save around 13 lives per year.

When connected to the grid, this new source of power would make carbon emissions decline by around 2.2 million tons every year, the equivalent to taking over 400,000 cars off the road.

Offshore wind faces a number of technical and economic hurdles, including installation of transmission lines. But at least theoretically, this form of renewable energy could generate enough electricity to supply all the electricity the U.S. consumes and then some, according to the Energy Department. Members of the Trump administration, including Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, appear to support offshore wind.

While it may not be possible, practical or necessary to build offshore wind everywhere, even replacing a small portion of the nation’s fossil-fueled electricity will be good for everyone’s health.The Conversation

Jonathan Buonocore, Research Associate, Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Related Posts

31,198 Comments

  120. Wimpew

    [url=http://viagrawithoutprescription.shop/]how to buy viagra online uk[/url]

  137. Boopew

    [url=http://genericviagra50price.quest/]cost of viagra 100mg in canada[/url]

  138. Lisapew

    [url=https://cheapviagra150mgnoprescription.monster/]can i buy viagra in canada[/url]

  140. Marypew

    [url=https://ordercialistabswithnoprescription.monster/]tadalafil prescription canada[/url]

  169. Sfero

    I definitely wanted to develop a brief comment in order to express gratitude to you for some of the amazing suggestions you are sharing at this site. My time-consuming internet research has at the end been honored with excellent points to go over with my neighbours. I would express that most of us website visitors are very much blessed to exist in a great community with very many marvellous professionals with helpful tips and hints. I feel very fortunate to have used the website page and look forward to so many more awesome times reading here. Thanks again for a lot of things.

  185. Wimpew

    [url=https://amitriptylineelavil.quest/]buy amitriptyline tablets online[/url]

  207. Sfero Döküm

    This is the best blog for anybody who desires to find out about this topic. You realize a lot its nearly exhausting to argue with you (not that I actually would need…HaHa). You undoubtedly put a brand new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Nice stuff, just nice!

  211. Sfero

    I love it when people come together and share opinions, great blog, keep it up

  630. Sfero

    Thanx for the effort, keep up the good work Great work, I am going to start a small Blog Engine course work using your site I hope you enjoy blogging with the popular

  679. Ashpew

    [url=https://cialis10withoutprescription.quest/]discount cialis pills[/url]

  1113. Dannyprick

    [url=https://erectiledysfunctionpills-365.com/]best online pharmacy for cialis[/url]
    fioricet online pharmacy

  1148. BarneyBolla

    [url=https://canadian-drugstorerx.com/]buy vyvanse online pharmacy[/url]
    universal pharmacy canada

  1192. BarneyBolla

    [url=https://canadian-drugstorerx.com/]indian pharmacy paypal[/url]
    oxfordhealth com online pharmacy optumrx

  1660. AndrewOrels

    [url=https://molnupiravir.site/]where to buy Molnupiravir suppositories[/url]
    can you buy Molnupiravir over the counter in uk

  1707. AndrewOrels

    [url=https://molnupiravir.site/]can i buy Movfor over the counter in uk[/url]
    can you buy Molnupiravir over the counter in australia

  1762. AndrewOrels

    [url=https://molnupiravir.site/]buy Molnupiravir with codeine syrup online[/url]
    how to order Molnupiravir

  2119. AndrewOrels

    [url=https://molnupiravir.site/]order Movfor codeine[/url]
    can you still buy Molnupiravir over the counter

  2400. GregoryHib

    [url=https://onlinexlpharmacy.com/]safe online pharmacies in canada[/url]
    cheap online pharmacies no prescription

  2432. GregoryHib

    [url=https://onlinexlpharmacy.com/]cvs pharmacy online[/url]
    drugs without prescription online

  2468. GregoryHib

    [url=https://onlinexlpharmacy.com/]meds from canada with out perscription[/url]
    buy drugs online no prescription

  2550. GregoryHib

    [url=https://onlinexlpharmacy.com/]pharmacys without prescriptions[/url]
    pharmacys without prescriptions

  2589. GregoryHib

    [url=https://onlinexlpharmacy.com/]online prescription[/url]
    perscription drugs from canada

  2632. GregoryHib

    [url=https://onlinexlpharmacy.com/]humana pharmacy online[/url]
    legitimate online pharmacies india

  2686. GregoryHib

    [url=https://onlinexlpharmacy.com/]walgreens online pharmacy[/url]
    online pharmacy without scripts

  2729. GregoryHib

    [url=https://onlinexlpharmacy.com/]online pharmacy viagra[/url]
    canadian online pharmacy cialis

  2896. GregoryHib

    [url=https://onlinexlpharmacy.com/]online compounding pharmacy[/url]
    canadian pharmacy meds