Ngokuphasiswa koMthetho Wokunciphisa I-Inflation, ohlanganisa amaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-370 ezinhlelweni zesimo sezulu namandla, ochwepheshe benqubomgomo babikezela ukwanda okumangalisayo kokukhiqizwa kwamandla ahlanzekile. Umoya wasogwini ungumthombo othembekile wokukhula.
Namuhla, kunamapulazi amabili kuphela asebenza phesheya kwezilwandle e-United States eduze kwaseRhode Island naseVirginia, anamandla ahlanganisiwe angama-megawatts angu-42. Uma kuqhathaniswa, i-Traverse Wind Centre entsha e-Oklahoma inamaturbine angu-356 kanye namamegawathi angu-998 omthamo wokuphehla. Kodwa asekhona amaphrojekthi amaningi asathuthuka, ikakhulukazi ogwini lwe-Atlantic.
Abaphathi beBiden bahlonze izindawo ezimbili zokuthuthukiswa komoya ogwini lolwandle eGulf of Mexico esezichazwe kahle ngokukhiqizwa kukawoyela negesi. Njengengxenye yesu lakhe lesimo sezulu, uMongameli uJoe Biden uzibekele umgomo wokusebenzisa amagigawathi angama-30 (amamegawathi angama-30,000) wamandla omoya ovela ngasogwini ngo-2030 - anele ukunika amandla ezindlini eziyizigidi eziyi-10 ngogesi ongena-carbon.
Njengabacwaningi bamandla e-Texas, sibona lokhu njengesigaba esisha esijabulisayo oguqukweni oluqhubekayo lwezwe lethu kumandla ahlanzekile. Sikholelwa ukuthi amandla omoya asogwini lolwandle e-Gulf of Mexico amele ithuba eliyingqayizivele lalesi sifunda sezwe esinabasebenzi abaqinile nengqalasizinda yamandla ukusiza ukuhlangabezana nesidingo somphakathi samandla ekhabhoni ethembekile, ephansi.
Umthamo ofakiwe ngo-2021 ngama-megawatts. (Umfanekiso: The Conversation/CC-BY-ND, umthombo: Global Wind Energy Council)
Kungani uye offshore? Amandla omoya osogwini akhule kakhulu e-US eminyakeni eyi-15 edlule, okuhlanganisa ne-Texas, izwe elikhulu kunawo wonke elikhiqiza amandla omoya. Ukuba lula okulinganiselwe kokuvumela kanye nokuthola amandla omoya, izindleko zokufaka ezithengekayo, inala yezinsiza, uphethiloli wamahhala, nezindleko eziphansi zokusebenza eziphansi kunciphisa izindleko zikagesi kubathengi. Amandla omoya agwema ukungcoliswa komoya okubalulekile, ukukhishwa kwesisi esibamba ukushisa kanye nokukhishwa kwamanzi okupholisa okuhlobene nezitshalo zikagesi ezisebenza ngamalahle, uwoyela noma igesi yemvelo.
Kodwa umoya wasogwini nawo unezinkinga zawo. Umoya uvame ukuba ntekenteke kakhulu phakathi nengxenye eshisa kakhulu ehlobo lapho ama-air conditioner esebenza kanzima ukugcina abantu bepholile. Izifunda eziningi zamandla omoya ezingcono kakhulu zikude nezikhungo zokufunwa kwamandla. Isibonelo, iningi lamapulazi omoya esifundeni se-Lone Star atholakala ezindaweni eziphakeme entshonalanga ye-Texas futhi akhiwa ngemva kokuba umbuso uchithe izigidigidi ukwakha izintambo zokuthutha amabanga amade ukuze uthole amandla lapho ayedingeka khona.
Amapulazi amaningi omoya asogwini angcono kakhulu e-US (izindawo eziluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka) akude nemiphakathi yasogwini, kodwa lawa madolobha angasetshenzelwa amapulazi omoya angaphesheya kolwandle. (Umthombo: NREL)
Amandla elanga namabhethri angaxazulula ezinye zalezi zinkinga. Kodwa ukuphehlwa kwamandla olwandle nakho kunezinzuzo eziningi.
Njengoba nje umoya osogwini wehlisa izindleko zamandla kubathengi, umoya osogwini kulindeleke ukuthi wenze okufanayo.
Njengoba ngaphezu kwesigamu sabantu base-US abahlala phakathi kwamamayela angu-50 ukusuka ogwini, amapulazi omoya angasogwini aseduze nezikhungo zokudinga ugesi. Lokhu kuyiqiniso ikakhulukazi eGulf of Mexico, lapho amadolobha amakhulu anjenge-Houston ne-New Orleans etholakala, kanye nenqwaba yezitshalo namachweba we-petrochemical. Esikhundleni sokubeka izintambo ezihamba phezulu ezingamakhulu amakhilomitha kanye nezingxabano zelungelo lendlela nokusebenzisa umhlaba, izinkampani zikagesi zingasebenzisa izintambo ezihamba ngaphansi kolwandle ukuletha amandla omoya ezindaweni zezimboni.
Kubalulekile ukuqaphela ukuthi umoya wasolwandle uhambisana nomoya wezwe. Ngosuku olushisayo lwasehlobo, isivinini somoya entshonalanga yeTexas sancipha futhi imimoya yasogwini yaphakama kancane kancane, yasiza ukuhlangabezana nesidingo esikhulu sasehlobo nokuthuthukisa ukwethembeka kwenethiwekhi.
Imakethe yomhlaba wonke yamandla omoya ogwini lolwandle isivele inamandla, kodwa kuze kube manje i-US ibingekho ngempela. Ukuchichima komhlaba lapha kugqugquzele ukukhula kwamandla omoya ogwini lolwandle, kodwa kwenze kwaba buthaka ukuthutheleka kwabantu emanzini.
Lokhu kuyashintsha njengoba imithetho yokuvikela iqinile ezifundeni ezinkulu ezifana ne-Iowa ikhawulela ibanga elingabekwa ama-turbines, ikhuphule izindleko zokwakha futhi ikhawulele ukutholakala kwezindawo ezamukelekayo. Izithiyo zamandla egridi kagesi yase-US nazo zenza kube nzima ukuletha amandla omoya emakethe.
Siyakwamukela e-Gulf, nonke niyawazisa la mathrendi, futhi kuhambisana nokwesekwa okwengeziwe kwamandla omoya ogwini lolwandle kuMthetho Wesimo Sezulu, kubukeka sengathi amandla omoya ase-US asogwini ekugcineni alungele iminyaka yobudala. Sibona iGulf of Mexico njengendawo ekhangayo ngokukhethekile yokwenza ibhizinisi.
Ukushona okungashoni kwetheku, amazinga okushisa aphakeme kanye namagagasi azolile kuyalawuleka uma kuqhathaniswa nezimo ezibandayo nezinzima zaseNorth Sea, North Atlantic kanye nogu lwase-Japan, lapho amandla omoya asolwandle aseqalile kakade. Ukujula kwamanzi okungafika kumafidi angu-160 - okwamanje ukujula okuphezulu kwezinjini zomoya ezigxilile - kunwebeka cishe amamayela angu-90 ngasogwini oluseningizimu-mpumalanga yeTexas kanye nogu oluseningizimu yeLouisiana, kanye neNantucket kanye neSivini sikaMartha ukuya enyakatho-mpumalanga cishe amamayela angu-40 kuphela.
Indawo engaphansi kwamanzi yaleli theku ibonakala ngemithambeka ethambile futhi ethambile kunezindawo esezivele zicatshangelwe ukuthuthukiswa ngasogwini lwaseVirginia. Lokhu kusho ukuthi izinjini zomoya ezigxilile ezingaphansi zingasetshenziswa ezindaweni eziningi kunezinhlelo ezintantayo, okunciphisa ubunzima.
Kubalulekile ukuqaphela ukuthi iGulf Coast inemboni eqinile yasogwini ekhonza abakhiqizi bakawoyela negesi kanye nezinkampani eziningi ezikhethekile ezihlinzeka ngezinsizakalo ezifana nokushisela ngaphansi kwamanzi, ukwakhiwa kwamapulatifomu, kanye nezinsizakalo zezindiza ezinophephela emhlane nezikebhe ukuthutha abantu kanye nemishini olwandle. Ngo-2019, ukukhiqizwa kukawoyela negesi eGulf of Mexico kunikeze cishe imisebenzi engama-345,000.
Amapulazi omoya ePersian Gulf angasebenzisa ingqalasizinda ekhona. Kukhona cishe amamayela angu-1,200 ezintambo ezihamba ngaphansi kolwandle ezingadlulisela amandla omoya ogwini. Amandla omoya angabuye ahlanganiswe ohlelweni olukhulu lwamandla oluhlanganisa ukukhiqizwa nokugcinwa kwe-hydrogen eluhlaza, kanye nokubamba ikhabhoni.
Ukweseka Abasebenzi kanye Nabantu Abasengozini Siphinde sikholelwe ukuthi amandla omoya ogwini lolwandle angasiza ukufeza izinhloso zobulungiswa bezemvelo. Ukukhiqizwa kukagesi ohlanzekile nongenayo i-carbon kuzosiza ukuvala indawo yezindawo zokuhluza kanye nezimboni ezicubungula futhi zikhiqize ugesi ngezinto ezimbiwa phansi. Lezi zikhungo zidale umonakalo omkhulu empilweni yamadolobha afana ne-Houston nemiphakathi yemibala e-United States.
Ukuthuthukiswa kwamandla omoya eGulf futhi kunikeza ithuba loshintsho lwabasebenzi olubushelelezi njengoba i-United States kancane kancane inciphisa ukuncika kwayo emafutheni ezinto ezimbiwa phansi. I-Louisiana isiqalile ukwenza imithethonqubo yomoya ogwini lolwandle emanzini esifunda futhi ifuna uxhaso lwenhlangano ne-Arkansas kanye ne-Oklahoma ukuze kusungulwe isikhungo se-hydrogen esihlanzekile sesifunda.
Okuluhlaza kusho ukuthi ukugunyazwa kwephrojekthi yenhlangano yamandla kuhamba kancane, futhi amaphrojekthi omoya emanzini enhlangano angathatha iminyaka ukuqedwa. Kodwa amaphrojekthi emanzini wesifunda - afinyelela kumamayela angu-3 ukusuka ogwini ezindaweni eziningi kanye namamayela ayi-9 ukusuka ogwini lwaseTexas - angaqedwa ngokushesha okukhulu.
Okuningi kuncike ekutheni izifunda zamandla ezifana neTexas neLouisiana ziyalibona yini ithuba lokukhulisa isithunzi sazo njengabaholi bamandla emandleni omoya ogwini lolwandle. Njengoba sesibonile, ukukhuphuka kwamandla omoya ogwini lolwandle ePersian Gulf kuzoba kuhle esifundeni, izwe, nesimo sezulu somhlaba wonke.
Umbhali uMichael E. Webber unguprofesa wamandla eNyuvesi yaseTexas e-Austin, ozinikele ekugubheni ikhulunyaka likaJosie.
U-Hugh Daigle uyiNxusa likaSolwazi wePetroleum and Geosystems Engineering eNyuvesi yaseTexas e-Austin.
Isikhathi sokuthumela: Aug-20-2022
