We the Six Billion: The Ammonia Economy (part 2)

Last week I wrote about a talk by Matt Simmons at which he proposed a solution to a predicted world shortage of water and petroleum: offshore wind generators to produce fresh water and ammonia from wind, air and sea water. I promised this week to explain why we could not afford to use this ammonia as a substitute for gasoline and heating oil, let alone afford water produced this way, and promised to suggest a more likely solution.

Let’s look first at the new wind-power project on Vinalhaven. It cost $15 million. There are three 250-foot towers on which are installed wind turbines with 123-foot blades. In strong winds they can generate 4.5 megawatts. Because winds are not always strong, the developers expect to be able to generate a total of about 11,600 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, slightly more than the islands use. The coop owns a cable that connects the island’s electric grid to the mainland, so when the wind does not blow they can draw from the mainland electric grid, and when the wind turbines produce a surplus they can sell it back to the mainland. As project consultant George Baker put it, “We’re using the grid as our battery.”

The Free Press