Daily Archives: December 7, 2021

The Remnant, The Parasite And The Masses – Bitcoin Magazine

Posted: December 7, 2021 at 5:24 am

A Psychological Analysis Of The Core Archetypes

In September 2021, I wrote a piece called Bitcoiners Are The Remnant, The Masses Dont Matter.

It was inspired by the incredible 1930s essay by Albert J Nock, Isaiahs Job.

In it, I covered the differentiation between two broad archetypes, (the Remnant and the masses) and made the case for why Bitcoiners are the former, while the general, the lemming-like population is the latter. I used it to present some ideas on selective adoption versus mass adoption, how zero-to-one moments happen, and how trends then perdure with the inertia-like force of the lagging masses.

I also took a moment to explore the Remnant within the Great Stories, particularly some of the best of our era, such as The Matrix and Fight Club.

The idea of the Remnant is generally thought of as a biblical one, but its essence is far older and permeates all of human existence. The story of the Remnant is the story of the survivor, the hero, the pioneer and the noble individual. Its been with us from the beginning of time, and will be there until the end.

Ayn Rand, one of historys most powerful thinkers, depicted them as the Prime Movers, or Men Of The Mind, particularly in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. She also juxtaposed them against those who she described as the moochers and the looters. It is here where I want to dig a little further.

My initial article lacked an exploration of each archetypes psyche and did not accurately differentiate a third and very important archetype: the parasite.

This is perhaps why some people got triggered, calling me elitist, Klaus Schwabs spawn, megalomaniac, etc. Of course, those comments came mainly from lemmings who have bought into the idea of being a homogenous part of the masses, or from natural parasites who are always threatened by that which is true. And thats fine.

In this second part, I hope to trigger them further, while providing a little clarification for a few of the Dormant Remnant seeking it.

Rands work has been a great inspiration for me, not just because of the ideals and strength of her message, but for how eloquent and precise she was in designing characters that embodied attributes of each of the three archetypes. Her protagonists embodied the values and virtues of the ideal man or woman, the antagonists were flawed, fearful parasites, and they were presented against a backdrop of hopeless masses who, while often good at heart, were weaponized by the parasites (to their own detriment).

I will use this model to describe and explore each of the general archetypal psyches in the great game of life.

Do with it what you will. Glean from it what you can. Be offended if thats your thing, or be inspired if youre a Remnant.

Before we delve into who these parasites are, or why the masses do what they do, lets review the archetype that matters: the Remnant.

While I was riffing on a Bitcoin Magazine Spaces about the prior article, an idea formed in my mind. The idea is that the number of Remnant out there is much larger than we know, and the ratio of those who are versus those who need to be unplugged is probably also an 80-to-20-type of distribution.

In other words, within the broader 20% of the distribution of humans who are Remnants, perhaps only 20% are active, and of those, 20% may be considered radical. Its basically 80/20 all the way down.

Its turtles all the way down man Source.

Of course, we can take this to an extreme and continue segmenting until we discover the one true Remnant of the Remnants Remnants Remnants Remnant, but that would be ridiculous. So lets focus on three broad classifications:

1. The Dormant Remnant

2. The Active Remnant

3. The Radical Remnant

If 20% of humans are archetypically Remnant material, then 80% of them are dormant.

They are either bogged down in jobs they dont like, theyve been subject to poor parenting, theyve been indoctrinated at school or by the media, they live in broken societies or are in some way, shape or form hampered by their environment (nurture).

They are in The Matrix, yet to be unplugged, but have that itch, that splinter in their mind telling them that something is off.

They are the really gifted engineer or artist who you know, whos just about there, and has all the ingredients to be great, but has not taken that leap of faith. Perhaps theyve bought into some garbage ideology that theyre a slave to society and that their self interest does not matter.

In some cases, theyre partially red-pilled individuals, awake enough to know that were living in a clown world simulation, but are yet to take the orange pill, i.e., they are pre-Bitcoiners.

As with all things, its a numbers game. There are more Dormant Remnant than there are Active Remnant. They are the silent majority, but when push comes to shove, they will line up on the right side of history, intuitively and instinctually.

If the signal is strong, pure and direct enough, it will wake them from their slumber. These are the ones we must focus on unplugging. These are the people who will actually listen, and not just passively hear only to ignore.

These are the 20% of the 20%, those who have taken the orange pill. Those who are out of The Matrix, who have woken up, who have seen the endless fields of human batteries with their own eyes, and can now see beyond the lies and propaganda. They can not only identify that which is true, but can articulate it.

They are the intolerant minority. The 4% of the whole who make up the last bastion of hope and freedom. They make up Zion.

A member of the Active Remnant is most likely a Bitcoiner. No, that does not mean some lemming who bought a bitcoin IOU on PayPal for the USD gains. That means a Bitcoiner who knows why were here, may be running a node, is orange pilling their loved ones, respects private property, freedom, responsibility and independence, and refuses to bend over to the blind mandates of the parasitic class.

If youre reading this, youre probably in this group.

This final category is the 20% of the 20% of the 20%.

These are the natural elites, the true 1%, the leaders, the renegades, the fearless warriors on the frontlines who not only refuse to back down, but who march forward, despite the insurmountable odds, reminding all Remnants that the truth is worth dying for.

They are the 300, William Wallace, Alexander the Great, Nikola Tesla, Isaac Newton, Galileo, Steve Jobs, Morpheus, Neo and Trinity.

The Spartans vs. the Arcadians. Source: MakeAGif.com.

Despite being the ultimate minority (less than 1%), they set the standard. They set the pace and they drive progress. Like the very tip of the spear, they pierce the veil, allowing the rest of the arrow to enter, followed by the inertia and weight of the staff (the masses).

Its reminiscent of the ancient warrior fable (I cannot remember where I have heard it): In any group of 100;

This warrior is the Radical Remnant. And while he may not inherit the earth, for he is often a martyr, he shall be remembered forever. It may be tragic, but that is his role, and he accepts it, dons his armor and strides forth with the courage of a lion.

As God said to Isaiah, you can be sure of two things:

The Remnant are out there. I meet them wherever I go. They come up to greet me and tell me the message rang true. Whether at a conference, at a dinner, in my DMs, on a Twitter Spaces or that one other guy at the airport who also refuses to wear his mask. You know who you are.

As the clown world simulation continues to erode the fabric of reality, we must remember that it is we who shall inherit the earth, for we are the meek in the ancient sense of the term which Jordan Peterson helped me re-define:

The meek are those who have swords, know how to use them, but choose to keep them sheathed.

Post every catastrophe or grand cycle, it is those who remain by virtue of being prepared or through sheer will and strength of character who are defined as the Remnant. It is they who shall inherit the earth alongside a few lucky sheeple who happened to trip over and fall into paradise.

So, find the Remnant. Build bonds with them, strengthen ties. If youre not sure where they are, here are some hints:

Of course, use discretion. The masses have flooded every layer of society, as have the parasites. A pareto-type distribution will likely apply here too, so seek authenticity.

This is the archetype that I did not describe in part one. Rand called them the moochers. Most people call them the elites, which is fundamentally incorrect, because to be elite implies one is exceptional at something.

Parasites are those who have failed to compete on merit and must concoct methods of extraction that benefit themselves at the expense of another. In other words, they are a net negative on the system.

Ive been on a crusade to re-classify the best of us as elite, while applying the word parasite where it belongs. I even wrote an entire piece about it two years ago:

In Support of the ELITE

The way I see it, the masses are still 80% and the Remnant are 20%, but a subset of each seem to devolve into the type of human who subsists by extracting value from the system.

They are either:

If a Remnant, they were unable to compete in the free market of merit so they instead applied their skill and ingenuity toward stealing from others better than they. If a member of the masses, they bought into the victimhood mindset espoused by midwits like Marx and decided it would be better to band together and steal from their superiors, instead of learning from and working alongside them to become better humans.

They have proliferated in the modern, fiat-driven clown world because broken incentives enable the growth of parasites, much like a poor diet makes for an environment where they grow in your body, and unclean places allow them to proliferate in nature or especially man made regions.

Their most powerful innovation is proof of stake, and their crowning achievement is fiat money.

Proof of work is the law by which the Remnant lives. In fact, so too do the masses in general, despite them being largely unconscious of it, and many being desirous of getting something for nothing.

Proof of stake was designed by parasites as a mechanism via which they can extract wealth from the system without having to work. In fact, over millennia of generations, they have become so allergic to work that the level of parasitic concoction has reached heights never before seen, the Democratic state being one of the primary examples:

Whatever the name, and however it may disguise itself, you can always recognize the parasite and their ploy when they refer to the emancipation of the masses and rally them around a cause to bring down more productive members of society who just want to be left the fuck alone.

Tax the rich comes to mind from parasites such as AOC, a failed model who too closely resembled Donkey from Shrek, and so became a waitress. Perhaps she got fired for doing something dumb, or was just envious of a boss who likely had worked an extra decade to build a business, thus earning more, so she then decided to go off and join the elaborate game of theft known as politics. The ultimate game of the parasite.

Bureaucrats, politicians, central planners and modern bankers, they are all the parasite class.

Theyll always use the message of were all in this together to fool the sheeple into believing a lie, and weaponizing their fear toward more theft and pressure on the Remnant.

According to liberation psychologist and Bitcoiner Nozomi Hayase, the parasites of the world resemble a class of psychologically-variant human known as a psychopath.

This is someone who lacks that innate wiring for empathy and as a result does not see, feel or experience the world through the same lens.

I recently recorded a podcast with her which has challenged my views on the prevalence of nurture alone in the psyche of a parasite.

Perhaps there are people born who are fundamentally and naturally predisposed to behave in a particular way, devoid of empathic values and, as such, function more like an incentive-driven machine. They may be more likely to not only thrive in a fiat society, but look to enhance that type of environment so that they can take full advantage of it.

And while this may suit their ends in the short term, or for whatever timeline they see fit, life developed empathy, love and a void that binds in humans as a way to exist on a longer time frame, and perhaps one that might even transcend the temporal.

I dont know but I will definitely be following Hayases work and dig deeper into this in part three of the Remnant series.

In the cracks and crevices where value is being created, progress is being made and innovation is occurring. Parasites require true progress and wealth creation to extract from, and the greater the progress or wealth, the easier they can camouflage themselves and their processes.

Furthermore, if the relationship between parasites and psychopaths is accurate, then their inherent nature means that they look for places to hide.

Bureaucracies, proof of stake and stale, hierarchical institutions are examples of where these cancerous cells can be found, and the following examples are variations of how the cancer manifests:

Note the kinds of people that work in these committees.

Rand depicted them brilliantly, eloquently and accurately in Atlas Shrugged, e.g., Jim Taggart, Robert Stadler, Wesley Mouch and Lillian Rearden.

In real life, they are Janet Yellens, Christine Lagardes, Joe Bidens and the like. Raoul Pal is also a great real-world example of the Parasite, masquerading as a Remnant, and fooling only the masses.

In a free market, we must continue to call out the scammers.

There is a reason why the committee man or woman hates bitcoin. There is no committee, there is no room for them. They are unable to concoct elaborate plans in which they can slowly extract the wealth others have created.

Sure, bureaucracies will exist on a Bitcoin standard, and Im sure there will be many parasites across every industry and dimension of human existence, but the difference is this:

On a Bitcoin standard, bureaucracies go bankrupt. They cannot grow into the abominations we see around us today, in which useless idiots work bullshit jobs just to pretend like theyre doing something, when in fact, theyre leeches.

On a Bitcoin standard, the organization with the most inefficient bureaucracy and the greatest infestation of parasites dies. It does not live long and prosper.

This is the inherent natural advantage of an economic standard rooted in reality, one which exists as proof of work, one which is time incarnate energy money.

The parasite cannot survive, let alone thrive in such a place.

Herein referred to as sheep or lemmings, they are simultaneously the most innocuous and most dangerous of all innocuous in a functional society because they add their two sats of value and continue on living, sometimes excelling and rising up, but mostly remaining average; dangerous in a fiat society (e.g., democracy) for their stupidity, fear, envy and lack of character which is most easily weaponized.

But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid and unmoving cattle of the majority. Oh, God, the terrible tyranny of the majority.

Faber to Montag, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

There is not a lot to explore in the minds of the masses, for they are largely mindless. You find them working bullshit jobs, like as a TSA agent, bag packer at a grocery store or a mask checker at airport and shopping mall entrances.

They are the kinds of people who consume a consistent diet of CNN, Facebook, Netflix, Uber Eats, Real Vision and McDonalds, while idolizing the lowest kinds of bipedal creatures, whether they be Anthony Fauci, Pal, Lagarde or Biden.

They value conformity and certainty above all else. They believe compliance is a virtue, and will signal it with all their pathetic might. They will believe whatever theyre told by their overlords, and will be the first to dob or snitch on their neighbors for the illegal act of having family members over for Thanksgiving during a fake pandemic.

The image below depicts them in all of their glory:

Thanksgiving 2021, source.

Pablo, a good friend of mine, helped me analogize the masses really well during a conversation in El Salvador. They are the people who operate as if the orders are reality, and when confronted with an actual reality that does not conform or fit within the model theyve been ordered to follow, they begin to malfunction and repeat themselves like mindless, broken automatons.

The image that comes to mind is of a Roomba repeatedly running into a wall.

The masses. Source: MakeAGif.com.

I dont know what else to say about them here other than that the only Earth they shall inherit is either the one the Remnant or the parasite manifest. They will be oblivious as to how it came about and largely indifferent toward whether its right, wrong or neutral. For their sake, and for ours, and for the survival of humanity, one can only hope the Remnant prevails.

Otherwise, we have the following to look forward to:

There may be exceptions to the rule perhaps.

The complexity and multi-dimensionality of humans means it is hard to generalize who might be a Remnant, a parasite or member of the masses.

The truth is that everybody can be exceptional at something. Were all unique and the application of our intent and effort toward a particular end can lead us not only to mastery of our craft, but to renown for what we do and a deep sense of fulfilment.

So one could argue that people are all remnants in their own field, and while I would agree, Im not sure this is a mastery of a unique craft question, despite how enticing it is to hope that we are all Remnants.

Yes, we are all good at our own unique thing, but Remnant is a character. There is something innate about it. Its an energy and an instinct. Its a natural frame. It seems to represent the zeitgeist of the time, in whatever era it emerges.

So, in my mind, it goes beyond a craft or an input and is more a way of being.

Of course, character is a blend of nature and nurture. So, through conditioning, perhaps Remnant values can be learned and acquired. Nobody knows what the mix of nature and nurture is when it comes to character, but this is of course where incentives matter because they set the framework for the development of either a morality or immorality.

The Remnant, The Parasite And The Masses - Bitcoin Magazine

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How offshore weather awareness enhances safety and optimizes operations – Windpower Engineering

Posted: at 5:24 am

By Mikko Nikkanen, Head of Maritime, Vaisala

As wind energy continues to play an increasingly important role in future energy systems, developers are turning to offshore locations with inherently stronger, more consistent and more abundant winds to maximize the value of their projects.

Just last year, investment in offshore wind surpassed $300 billion, according to the Global Wind Energy Council, and the global wind energy industry grew by more than 53% from 2019 to 2020. With offshore wind continuing its rapid growth, turbines are growing taller and offshore sites are becoming more expansive in order to generate more energy.

However, as the wind industry expands farther from coastlines, larger turbines and deeper waters make weather intelligence even more critical for operational decision-making. The safety of staff and offshore assets is critical, and without immediate, accurate data across a range of crucial weather parameters, including wind, thunderstorms, lightning and sea conditions, operational safety is at risk and costly delays are likely.

Offshore environments are challenging to work in. From their hard-to-access, remote locations to the demanding environmental conditions at these locations, the development of offshore wind farms faces several operational challenges that can result in costly delays and safety risk.

In offshore wind farm build-up and maintenance operations, strong winds are not only a safety concern for people, but they are also a major cause of damage to vessels, equipment and turbine components that can cost millions in repairs and downtime. With taller turbines and larger project sites in deeper waters come increasing challenges surrounding the loading, transportation and installation of offshore turbines. While strong winds are vital to the success of offshore operations, they can also significantly impact the ability for wind turbine installation vessels (WTIVs) operations teams to efficiently, cost-effectively and safely install and maintain wind farms. Plus, meteorological and oceanic conditions are significantly less forgiving the farther from shore projects are located.

Complicating those challenges even more, the immense demand for WTIVs to support this growing market significantly limits the availability of these specialized vessels capable of carrying the on-board crane and turbine component parts necessary to build 150-m turbines from the port to the installation site. WTIVs are equipped with legs that reach down to the seafloor to steady the ship and lift it up out of the ocean so it can avoid direct wave impacts and serve as a stable platform during installation. The vessels crane then lifts the turbine component parts and installs them in the appropriate position.

Due to the numerous advantages WTIVs bring to offshore wind construction and maintenance, renting a WTIV can cost $20,000 per half-hour (and up to $300,000 per day) and building a new vessel for this application comes with an enormous $500-million price tag so minimizing downtime is vital because every second counts.

Since strong winds, destabilizing waves and other inclement meteorological conditions (lightning, precipitation, freezing cold temperatures, and rain, fog, snow or other obscurants) have the potential to endanger crew safety, seriously delay installation operations and prolong construction times, its vital to know the wind, wave and other meteorological conditions at any given moment to ensure staff and asset safety.

According to the Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organization, 2020 witnessed nearly 750 health and safety incidents at offshore wind farm sites across the world, with nearly 300 of those resulting in employee injury and almost 150 damaging assets. Determining whether its safe to have a crane lifting turbine components, crew members installing blades or a helicopter transporting maintenance crews and/or replacement components to the offshore wind farm site relies on accurate measurements of the wind, lightning, waves, visibility and other weather conditions both between the port and the wind farm and at each location.

Offshore wind installations are weather-critical, and the installation process can take several days for each individual turbine. As a result, if the install phase takes longer than initially anticipated, the extra cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars each day is often unsustainable. Again, maximizing safety and minimizing downtime is essential.

Harsh and unpredictable environmental conditions are common in offshore environments, which is why decision-makers need localized meteorological and forecast information to minimize these threats and maximize the value of an offshore project. Fortunately, precautions to minimize damage, downtime and safety risk of workers can be taken by utilizing the latest innovations in advanced weather sensing technologies.

Accurate and reliable weather awareness is key to knowing when the weather is right for safe and efficient wind farm installations. Without accurate and reliable weather information from the latest wind lidars, helideck monitoring systems (HMSs), global storm networks and weather sensors, effectively ameliorating the impacts of wind, thunderstorms, sea state and visibility effects to avoid costly delays and increase safety is incredibly difficult.

At sea, the wind can be unpredictable and a lack of local observations creates challenges. Wind lidar remote sensing technology enables the accurate detection of hazardous wind gusts that can impact offshore operations by simultaneously measuring wind speed and direction at multiple heights. Modern lidars are reliable and easy to deploy and position almost anywhere on a vessel, which makes gaining a comprehensive view into how winds are developing on top of the WTIV and at different locations around the site (up to 300 m in the atmosphere, covering the full rotor sweep of even the largest offshore turbines) easier than ever before. In addition, wind lidars are commonly used during craning and mounting operations to help ensure the proper timing for cranes to lift turbine components on offshore location or at loading port. By vertically measuring wind speed and direction to inform transportation movements and ensure employee safety, wind lidars can simplify offshore operations and maximize operational continuity while maintaining overall safety.

When wind lidars combine with the weather sensor technologies integrated into HMSs (a barometer, temperature and humidity probes, a visibility sensor, a ceilometer and a wave measurement radar), an even broader range of meteorological and oceanographic conditions can be monitored. HMSs are generally required according to CAP 437: Standards For Offshore Helicopter Landing Areas to help ensure effective flight planning and safe landings on offshore installations. These systems tend to come equipped with software that includes a real-time data display, reporting tools and critical alarms. With these advanced weather insights, any negative impacts can be quickly quantified, enabling project operators to make more informed decisions during critical weather situations aimed at optimizing operations, minimizing downtime at sea and ensuring the safety of the on-site crew.

A global lightning detection sensor network is able to detect thunderstorms in real time, track their trajectory and intensity, and support hazardous weather warnings even outside the range of weather radar to help minimize lightning-related safety concerns, especially during the transport of helicopters and operations crews to and from offshore installation sites. Helicopters are not allowed to fly through thunderstorms, thus its better to be fully aware of the direction of a thunderstorms movement and lightning forecasts beforehand to avoid safety risks. Additionally, crane lifting operations at higher altitudes attract lightning during thunderstorms, increasing the likelihood of a safety hazard, fire or explosion. Safe and efficient operations depend on accurate lightning detection, and early warnings allow decision-makers to better anticipate a lightning threat before it reaches the offshore site, helping to keep workers safe while reducing the duration of safety shutdowns.

Altogether, advanced weather insights optimize offshore wind farm construction and operations by:

For years Vaisala has supplied wind farms and other offshore wind projects with weather awareness solutions that meet ever-evolving industry needs. From the ruggedized WindCube Offshore wind lidar to Vaisalas Thunderstorm Manager, Global Lightning Detection Network GLD360 and Helideck Monitoring System (HMS), new techniques and technologies are required to uphold safety and performance while minimizing damage, downtime and liability.

Whether the conversation surrounds worker injury/death, crane and turbine damages, halted crane activity, or increased downtime-related delays, severe weather, strong winds and lightning all pose serious risks to WTIVs, helicopters and supporting ports. As the offshore wind industry continues to move into harsher environments with increasingly challenging and unpredictable extreme weather conditions, the ability to accurately monitor the meteorological conditions that impact your daily operations is critical to maximizing both staff and asset safety as well as the value of your offshore project.

Mikko Nikkanen is the head of Maritime at Vaisala, a global leader in weather, environmental and industrial measurements where he brings more than 20 years of global experience in leadership, business development, and solution creation in various industries and application areas.

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Offshore wind grid woes may be worse than previously thought – E&E News

Posted: at 5:24 am

Experts are warning that the challenge of connecting large amounts of offshore wind to an aging onshore grid may be much larger than initially realized.

Thats because offshore wind will need to grow very big, very fast to decarbonize the grid, they say.

The White House has given a big boost to the burgeoning sector with its pledge to facilitate putting 30 gigawatts of offshore wind in the water by 2030 as part of a broader plan to decarbonize the economy by midcentury.

To reach the 2050 target, however, offshore wind would need to swell to 300 GW on the East Coast alone, said Eric Hines, a civil and environmental engineering expert at Tufts University, during an offshore wind panel hosted by Resources for the Future last week.

Hines is not alone in his assessment. While the Biden administration was lauded by industry and activists for the ambitious 30-GW target which would be a 7,000 percent increase in offshore wind power from today many academics crunching numbers conclude that the level of emissions cuts called for by Biden would require a lot more power.

A Princeton University study last year estimated that the United States may need to triple its transmission to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, for example.

The current power grid took 150 years to build. Now, to get to net-zero emissions by 2050, we must build that amount of transmission again in the next 15 years and then build that much more again in the 15 years after that," said Princeton professor Jesse Jenkins, a co-author of the study, at the time of its release.

Currently, developers are paying for and building transmission project by project.

In Virginia, for instance, Dominion Energy is laying nine cables that are bundled at a central location and connecting to an existing substation for its Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. For Vineyard Wind, a 35-mile cable will land at Barnstable, Mass., on Cape Cod.

Once we get beyond that first 30 GW, we are really going to have our hands tied as an industry, said Bill White, president of Avangrid Renewables, during the Resources for the Future panel. Avangrid has a 50 percent stake in Vineyard Wind, the first full-scale offshore wind farm approved for construction in the United States. It broke ground earlier this year.

Some regulators are looking beyond the developer-led transmission approach to regional planning.

New Jersey has offered one potential example, with the state planning to pay for transmission infrastructure to serve its expanding offshore wind sector. It is considering options such as a transmission backbone located offshore to serve multiple projects that would also guarantee a minimum number of cables landing on the states ecologically sensitive coastline.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has expressed support for New Jerseys approach and has been gathering input on how cost sharing across regions could be used to cover the transmission expansion needed for an offshore wind boom.

But an even greater level of planning and policy will be necessary, experts warn.

If we do not coordinate, we are going to be choked, said Hines.

He said the macrogrid idea envisioned in studies at the Department of Energy may finally come to fruition due to offshore wind.

A macrogrid or supergrid envisions a revamp of the countrys fragmented energy map to link the wealth of solar generation in the South, or wind generation in the Midwest, to demand centers.

Today, the Eastern and Western grids are separated by a seam with just seven interconnections with limited capacity. A modern grid would be able to fling large amounts of power across this great divide, a concept that has long intrigued electricity experts and was the subject of a DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory study this year (Energywire, Oct. 25).

Offshore wind faces similar problems of geography and distance.

The conversations were having now about the offshore grid dovetails very well with the conversations the Department of Energy has been having for over 20 years, Hines said.

Reaching a level of offshore wind development such as 300 GW would also take more water in terms of acreage.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has conducted eight competitive lease sales since 2013. Leasing for projects involves a multiyear process of analyzing the area for conflicts and coordinating with other ocean users like the U.S. military and with coastal states.

We will indeed need more capacity, said James Bennett, head of BOEMs renewable energy office, during the panel. He noted the potential future that lies in deep water off the Atlantic seaboard and in the Pacific.

BOEM has a record 14 offshore wind farms in development or recently approved from North Carolina to Massachusetts. It expects four more applications to come in over the next year.

Existing proposals are facing criticism, however, with communities in New Jersey, North Carolina and Maryland raising concerns about the impact of wind turbines.

Nantucket residents have filed a lawsuit over Vineyard Winds potential threat to the endangered North American right whale, with the support of a former adviser to President Trump, David Stevenson. Stevenson has said he would rally a fight against offshore wind down the East Coast.

But other communities have made peace with the industry, receiving big investments to go along with plans for having a high-power transmission line buried under their beaches.

In Massachusetts, where the nations first big offshore wind proposal, Cape Wind, once sank amid legal assaults, some residents have embraced the Vineyard Wind project. The burying of the Vineyard transmission cable will help the town of Barnstable overhaul its wastewater and sewage systems, some residents say (Climatewire, Nov. 19).

White of Avangrid noted that the wind industry has been at work locally for a long time in the United States. Vineyard Wind has held more than 600 community and public meetings, he said.

Its kind of unprecedented, the amount of engagement that we have had, he said.

Bennett from BOEM said that once the industry starts producing power, it will be easier for the public to understand what it is, and to see its benefits.

He said: The most effective communication is steel in the water.

This story also appears in Climatewire.

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Offshore wind grid woes may be worse than previously thought - E&E News

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Phase 3 of the worlds largest offshore wind farm moves forward – electrek.co

Posted: at 5:24 am

British utility SSEand Norwegian energy giant Equinorannounced late last week that they have secured financing to proceed with the construction of the $3.98 billion Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm off Englands northeast coast.

Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm, along with Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B, is due to become the largest offshore wind farm in the world upon completion, with an installed capacity of 3.6 gigawatts (GW). Each phase is 1.2 GW.

Dogger Bank C will generate around 6,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity a year when completed in 2026.

According to SSE and Equinor, Dogger Bank will generate enough clean energy to supply 5% of the UKs electricity needs, equivalent to 6 million homes.

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GE Renewable Energy will provide 87 units of the enormous Haliade-X 14 MW wind turbines for Dogger Bank C. As Electrek previously reported, According to GE, one turbine can generate up to 74 GWh of gross annual energy production, saving up to 52,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide the equivalent of the emissions from 11,000 vehicles in one year.

Construction of Dogger Bank A and B is currently under way. As of December 3, three-quarters of the 80 miles of underground ducts and one-third of underground high-voltage cables land-based infrastructure have been installed. They will connect A and B to the UKs National Grid.

James Lockwood, project manager at Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK, the company that is installing the land-based infrastructure, said:

We have made excellent progress while the weather has been with us, and as such have installed a significant amount of cable.

The cable itself runs across two routes: a DC route which goes from the connection point with offshore cables to the converter station, and a shorter AC route, which then runs from the converter station to National Grid infrastructure.

Additionally, we have been able to start some works restoring parts of the site, a process which includes sowing a mix of specially selected cover crops that will help maintain the nutrient levels in the soil in preparation of the final reinstatements work due to carried out next year.

Once better weather returns in the spring, well be back under way with high voltage duct and cable installation, working towards a final site handover in June 2023.

Photo: GE

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Phase 3 of the worlds largest offshore wind farm moves forward - electrek.co

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Boat of missing 94-year-old fisherman found abandoned 90 miles offshore from Galveston – Houston Chronicle

Posted: at 5:24 am

Rebecca Hennes,Staff writer

Dec. 6, 2021Updated: Dec. 6, 2021 3:14p.m.

Frank Marinic's 34 ft. white fishing vessel, Mar Boa, was found abandoned near the Claypile Bank 90 miles offshore Galveston

Authorities are searching for a 94-year-old man who was reported missing during a fishing trip in Galveston.

Frank Marinic was last seen on November 30 before heading out on a fishing expedition in Galveston, according to a release from the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston. While searching for Marinic, authorities located his 34 ft. white fishing vessel, Mar Boa, near the Claypile Bank 90 miles offshore Galveston. A rescue swimmer verified that there was no one on the vessel.

LAKEWOOD MYSTERY: $600K theft from Lakewood Church went cold for 7 years. Now, a radio caller reveals he found it in bathroom wall

Anyone with any information that can help the search should contact the Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston Command Center at 281-464-4851.

Rebecca Hennes is the metro web producer for the Houston Chronicle.

Rebecca is responsible for writing content, managing the homepage, packaging stories, assisting with social media and newsletter efforts.

A Houston native, Rebecca graduated from the University of Houston Honors College in 2016 with a bachelor's in print journalism and later joined the Chronicle in 2018.

When she is not writing about dogs or animal welfare, she covers anything Houston-related, including crime, entertainment, education and politics. She can be reached by email at Rebecca.Hennes@chron.com or by Twitter: @beccaghennes

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Boat of missing 94-year-old fisherman found abandoned 90 miles offshore from Galveston - Houston Chronicle

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101-Wind Turbine Project Offshore Sweden Reaches Next Phase | Offshore Wind – Offshore WIND

Posted: at 5:24 am

OX2 has submitted a permit application under the Act on Swedens Exclusive Economic Zone to construct an offshore wind farm in the Swedish economic zone off the coast of Falkenberg and Varberg.

The wind farm is called Galatea-Galene and is divided into two sub-areas.

Galatea is located about 25 kilometres off Falkenberg and Galene about 25 kilometres off Varberg. The wind farm will comprise up to 101 wind turbines, with a maximum height of 340 metres.

OX2 has previously applied for a separate Natura 2000 permit for the offshore wind farm.

The planned production of electricity from the wind farm amounts to about 6-7 TWh per year, which corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of about 1.2 million households, or a quarter of the households in Sweden, the Swedish developer said.

The application is for permission to erect wind turbines, transformer stations and measuring masts, and is being assessed by the government.

We have now arrived at the next phase and are looking forward to the next steps. Galatea-Galene would bring a significant amount of new Swedish renewable electricity to southern Sweden. The project is important for industry, business, households and the labour market. And it will also contribute to achieving Swedens ambitious environmental goals, said Hillevi Priscar, Country Manager for OX2 in Sweden.

The project is part of OX2s Swedish project development portfolio, which at the end of the third quarter amounted to 11.1 GW.

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101-Wind Turbine Project Offshore Sweden Reaches Next Phase | Offshore Wind - Offshore WIND

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The Safe Bets of Siemens Gamesa | Offshore Wind – Offshore WIND

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In this article:

We have seen offshore wind turbines beyond 15 MW being launched this year, new technologies introduced, and multiple wind turbine reuse and recycling initiatives kick-started. And while some OEMs have announced upcoming upgrades to their portfolio that evoke excitement similar to that around novel features on some Android smartphones, Siemens Gamesa seems to have an Apple-like approach and makes incremental step-ups with its existing technology. Still not missing a beat in the ever-evolving market, though.

As MingYang Smart Energy, the first Chinese supplier to deliver offshore wind turbines for a European project, recently launched a 16 MW model only a year after announcing it would have a 11 MW prototype installed in 2021 and the turbine market-ready in 2022 Siemens Gamesa is power-boosting its now installed 14 MW prototype to an output of 15 MW and is planning to roll out a 236-metre-rotor version of the same platform.

According to the Head of Product Portfolio Management at the German-Spanish wind turbine manufacturer, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in China last month to license its 11 MW offshore technology in the country, it is not unusual for the Chinese market to be marketing products at a much earlier stage.

While we are, for example, well underway with the development of the new model with the 236-metre rotor and we announced it only recently, in China it is more typical to see products marketed closer to the start of design stage, Jan Villum Kristiansen, Head of Product Portfolio Management at Siemens Gamesa, told OffshoreWIND.biz during an interview at WindEuropes Electric City 2021.

What differs MingYangs upcoming 11 MW from Siemens Gamesas existing 11 MW now launched on the same market is that MingYangs technology utilises hybrid drive while Siemens Gamesa has placed its bet on a direct drive platform years ago and reaffirmed it in a strategy premised on one segment, one technology in 2017.

Whats Under the Price Tag?

With hybrid drive technology being less pricey and therefore a possible go-to for developers with offshore wind cost reductions in mind, Siemens Gamesa has made a case for its Direct Drive (DD) by promoting its low maintenance and more room for scaling up that does not require an experimental approach.

A generator for a direct drive turbine itself is more expensive compared to a hybrid generator, seen as single component. However, scalability, system integration and upgrades are easier, and there are fewer components, as example: failure rate in gearboxes is zero with direct drive, Kristiansen said.

The business case behind using direct drive wind turbines comes down to where costs will lie and how OPEX is assumed, including servicing, maintenance, and gearbox exchange.

As the inevitable question of when a bigger turbine will be launched looms, now that there is a 15 MW direct drive model set to go through a demonstration stage, the increase in the rotor size on the same platform from 222 metres to 236 metres is what draws attention, especially since the rated capacity stays the same while some OEMs are announcing upping the capacity beyond 15 MW.

Here, Siemens Gamesa seems to have once again opted for solidifying its position before making a jump towards bigger nameplate capacity, which the market is undoubtedly expecting and, based on the developments so far, Siemens Gamesa will not fall back with.

Speaking about the difference the 236-metre rotor brings to the 14 MW wind turbine, Kristiansen pointed to the much higher yield of the new model that has a considerable larger swept area, but also the advantage of staying on the same platform with no additional changes to the drivetrain.

While the model with the larger rotor is also more expensive, it ultimately brings a more cost-effective solution, especially in areas with low wind conditions, according to Kristiansen.

The power curve in some low wind conditions is such that a turbines full power is not being utilised, and a larger rotor allows for longer production at higher power compared to a smaller rotor. Therefore, the combined output that a turbine with the same rating has with a larger rotor brings higher energy production, Jan Villum Kristiansen said.

The new model, which has already been preferred by Vattenfall for its 3.6 GW Norfolk wind farms in the UK, is scheduled for prototype demonstration in 2022 with commercial launch in 2024 and will feature 115-metre blades as well as working on an option to deliver RecyclableBlades.

Recyclability Is One More Safe Bet. For Developers.

Being the first to announce a fully recyclable wind turbine by 2040 and to produce recyclable blades, Siemens Gamesa is a frontrunner in what the industry is looking to achieve as soon as possible, according to Jonas Pagh Jensen, the companys Sustainability Programme Manager.

RWE, EDF, wpd, and now Vattenfall have already lined up to use the new blades and, apparently, for a good business reason if they want an advantage in future tenders.

We drafted the concept five years ago and then identified a supplier that could help us develop it and, as we moved forward, we could see how the society was increasingly moving towards more sustainable solutions. Now we also see commercial auctions setting requirements for recyclability, so we believe our recyclable blades fit perfectly with the development also happening on the commercial side, said Jonas Pagh Jensen.

Right now, the recyclable blade comes with an increased price since it is new to the market.

For developers, there is an upfront investment which is said to level out at the end of the lifecycle as the blades will be significantly less costly as they hit the decommissioning stage.

The materials that you separate will have value so you will get reimbursed for the materials. The decommissioning and recycling process are less complicated, so this part is also cheaper. In addition, it covers for the otherwise unknown costs that could emerge from regulatory moves on waste, which could increase over time, said Jonas Pagh Jensen.

As developers currently have the option to choose between the standard and the recyclable blade, and several of them have signed up for the sustainable solution, it is a reflection of what they believe is the right thing to incorporate in the projects they are now working on, according to Jensen.

We have developed the solution because we think that is what the market needs, but the market players of course decide for themselves. We have done our market consultancy, but it is a choice that customers make and a reflection of what they believe is the right thing for the project they are working on.

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PGS to conduct 4D survey of Brazilian offshore fields – Offshore Technology

Posted: at 5:24 am

PGS will use a Ramform-class vessel for the survey works. In picture, Ramform Atlas vessel. Credit: PGS.

PGS has secured a contract from Petrobras to conduct a 4D seismic acquisition survey over two Brazilian offshore fields.

The contract will involve surveying the Roncador and Albacora Leste fields, both located in the Campos basin.

The survey is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2022 and is expected to be completed by the third quarter of the same year.

A Ramform-class vessel will be used for the survey works.

PGS president and CEO Rune Olav Pedersen said: We are very pleased to provide this significant 4D survey for Petrobras in the prolific Campos basin. We have acquired several 4D surveys offshore Brazil and gained significant operational experience.

We appreciate Petrobras recognition of our Ramform-vessel acquisition platform and our GeoStreamer technology, which are well suited for large, high-quality 4D acquisition programmes.

Headquartered in Norway, PGS, along with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated marine geophysics company supporting oil and gas, offshore renewables, carbon capture, and storage operations. It has offices in 14 countries.

Last month, Petrobras announced plans to invest $68bn to boost oil production in the subsea pre-salt area. The Brazilian state-owned firm will make this investment over the five-year period from 2022 to 2026.

This represents a significant increase from the previously announced investment of $55bn for the 2020-2025 period.

Recently, Petrobras awarded a subsea contract to Saipem for the Bzios 7 project offshore Brazil. The contract has a value of approximately $940m.

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Offshore Cranes / Gangways & Services

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Specialists in Modeling Analysis and Simulation of Dynamic Systems

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Canadian grocery retailer Loblaw wins offshore tax case in top court – Reuters

Posted: at 5:24 am

A Loblaw logo is seen outside a grocery store in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 14, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File Photo

OTTAWA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Canadian grocery retailer Loblaw Companies Ltd (L.TO) does not have to pay tax on income earned by an offshore subsidiary, the country's Supreme Court said on Friday, a decision that could have implications for other companies.

The case revolved around a Barbados-based bank linked to the company. Loblaw successfully argued the bank was foreign-regulated and largely doing business with other entities, and its income should therefore not be taxed in Canada.

Government lawyers said if they lost the case, it could endanger the collection of more than C$1 billion ($782 million) in taxes a year, given that other companies were eyeing similar arrangements. Ottawa argued the bank was a controlled foreign affiliate of Loblaw which should pay tax on its income.

But Canadian tax law allows an exception for offshore subsidiaries which are foreign banks, are regulated by foreign law, employ more than five people and have an arm's length relationship with the parent company.

Loblaw "was entitled to rely on the financial institution exception," the court ruled.

Loblaw wound down the bank in 2013 and had already recorded a C$367 million charge to cover costs had it lost the ruling.

($1 = 1.2794 Canadian dollars)

Reporting by David LjunggrenEditing by Paul Simao

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Canadian grocery retailer Loblaw wins offshore tax case in top court - Reuters

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Chinas offshore wind growth soars with more than 300GW installed – Electrek

Posted: at 5:24 am

China is the worlds biggest polluter and its also the worlds leader in clean energy growth. Chinas installed offshore wind capacity has now reached 302.2 gigawatts (GW), according to Windpower Intelligence (WPI), the data and research division of Windpower Monthly.

This is because developers in China are working to bring offshore wind online before feed-in tariffs expire at the end of 2021.

Windpower Monthly reports:

Of the projects WPI registered in November as newly coming online, eight of the worlds 11 largest were in Chinese waters. The eight Chinese offshore wind farms saw a combined capacity of 2.7GW added to the countrys total capacity.

WPIsglobal forecastsees Chinas installed wind capacity reaching 485GW by 2027 split into 446.7GW onshore and 38.5GW offshore.

China is expected to install 1,200 GW of total wind and solar capacity by 2026, according to a new report released this week from the International Energy Agency (IEA). Thats four years earlier than the countrys current target of 2030.

According to the IEA, this is the result of the availability of long-term contracts, improved grid integration, and the cost competitiveness of onshore wind and solar PV compared with coal generation in many provinces.

If you find yourself wondering how the USs offshore wind growth projection compares with Chinas already booming offshore wind industry, Anthony Allard, executive vice president, head of North America, Hitachi Energy, told Electrek by email:

Over the next five to 10 years, the offshore wind industry will make a major contribution to transforming the way the US gets its power, with the federal governmenttargeting more than 30GW built in US waters by 2030.

Well also see greater recognition of the importance of HVDC technology as a facilitator of offshore wind projects, through its capability to connect larger wind farms further away from shore with onshore grids.

Read more: 2021 will be an all-time, record-breaking year for clean energy installations

Photo: DONG HAI OFFSHORE WINDFARMbyTheClimateGroupis licensed underCC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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Chinas offshore wind growth soars with more than 300GW installed - Electrek

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Daily Archives: December 7, 2021

The Remnant, The Parasite And The Masses – Bitcoin Magazine

How offshore weather awareness enhances safety and optimizes operations – Windpower Engineering

Offshore wind grid woes may be worse than previously thought – E&E News

Phase 3 of the worlds largest offshore wind farm moves forward – electrek.co

Boat of missing 94-year-old fisherman found abandoned 90 miles offshore from Galveston – Houston Chronicle

101-Wind Turbine Project Offshore Sweden Reaches Next Phase | Offshore Wind – Offshore WIND

The Safe Bets of Siemens Gamesa | Offshore Wind – Offshore WIND

PGS to conduct 4D survey of Brazilian offshore fields – Offshore Technology

Canadian grocery retailer Loblaw wins offshore tax case in top court – Reuters

Chinas offshore wind growth soars with more than 300GW installed – Electrek

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