Blog 2: Belgium building an island for energy storage

Belgium is seeking to phase out its use of nuclear energy and move to the usage of renewable energy. In order to achieve this goal, they plan to build an island off of the coast for the use of production and storage of wind energy. They claim that among the possibilities for alternative energies, wind energy is the most convenient because "es un recurso abundante, renovable, limpio, y ayuda a disminuir las emisiones de gases" (it is a resource that is abundant, renewable, clean, and will help reduce gas emissions). However, the obvious drawback is that production of wind energy is dependent on weather conditions. It is for this reason that they plan to build an island where it can be stored, so that none of the energy produced is lost because of fluctuations in demand and lack of storage. The total cost of construction has not yet been determined, but the Prime Minister Johan Lanotte says that the island would likely be privately funded. Belgium is also working on a list of other alternatives to reducing their dependence on nuclear energy, but their wind island is at the top of their list.

            This article was very interesting and certainly offered many of the positive consequences that could result from this project. But other than the potential cost to fund the island, no negative consequences are discussed. Even though I believe that this project would be a good step towards renewable energy sources and cutting dependency on nuclear power, it would have been a much better article if it had included the claims coming from those who have mobilized in counter-action against this project. Otherwise, I enjoyed this article and reading about some positive changes that are being made in the effort to have a global shift to renewable energies.

Article here


Jessie White
4:20pm
2/8/13