Ngokuhamba koMthetho wokuNcitshiswa kwexabiso lentengo, oquka i-370 yeebhiliyoni zeedola kwiinkqubo zemozulu kunye namandla, iingcali zomgaqo-nkqubo ziqikelela ukwanda okumangalisayo kwimveliso yamandla acocekileyo. Umoya ongaphesheya kolwandle ngumthombo othembekileyo wokukhula.
Namhlanje, zimbini kuphela iifama zomoya ezisebenza kude nonxweme eUnited States kufutshane neRhode Island naseVirginia, ezinomthamo odityanisiweyo weemegawathi ezingama-42. Xa kuthelekiswa, iziko elitsha leTraverse Wind e-Oklahoma linee turbines ezingama-356 kunye neemegawathi ezingama-998 zomthamo wokuvelisa. Kodwa kusekho iiprojekthi ezininzi kuphuhliso, ingakumbi kunxweme lweAtlantiki.
Ulawulo lwe-Biden luchonge iindawo ezimbini zophuhliso lomoya ongaselunxwemeni kwiGulf of Mexico ezichazwe kakuhle kwimveliso yeoli kunye negesi. Njengenxalenye yesicwangciso sakhe semozulu, uMongameli uJoe Biden ubeke injongo yokuhambisa i-30 gigawatts (30,000 megawatts) yamandla omoya we-offshore nge-2030 - eyaneleyo ukunika amandla amakhaya ezigidi ezili-10 ngombane ongenayo i-carbon.
Njengabaphandi bamandla eTexas, sibona oku njengenqanaba elitsha elinomdla kutshintsho oluqhubekayo lwelizwe lethu kumandla acocekileyo. Sikholelwa ukuba amandla omoya ophuma elunxwemeni kwi-Gulf of Mexico amele ithuba elikhethekileyo kulo mmandla wejografi enabasebenzi abomeleleyo kunye neziseko zombane ukunceda ukuhlangabezana neemfuno zoluntu ezithembekileyo, zamandla ekhabhoni ephantsi.
Umthamo ofakwe kwi-2021 kwi-megawatts. (Umzobo: Incoko/CC-BY-ND, umthombo: iGlobal Wind Energy Council)
Kutheni uye kude nonxweme? Amandla omoya elunxwemeni akhule kakhulu e-US kule minyaka ili-15 idlulileyo, kubandakanywa eTexas, elona lizwe likhulu livelisa amandla omoya. Ubulula obunxulumene nokuvumela kunye nokubeka amandla omoya, iindleko zofakelo ezifikelelekayo, ubutyebi obuninzi, amafutha asimahla, kunye neendleko ezisezantsi zokusebenza ezisezantsi zinciphisa iindleko zombane kubasebenzisi. Amandla omoya anqanda ukungcoliseka komoya okubalulekileyo, ukukhutshwa kwerhasi yegreenhouse kunye nokukhutshwa kwamanzi okupholisa okunxulunyaniswa nezixhobo zombane ezisebenza kumalahle, i-oyile okanye irhasi yendalo.
Kodwa umoya osuka elunxwemeni nawo unemiqobo yawo. Umoya udla ngokuba buthathaka ngexesha lelona xesha lishushu kakhulu lasehlotyeni xa izixhobo zokupholisa umoya zisebenza nzima ukugcina abantu bepholile. Uninzi lwemimandla engcono yamandla omoya ikude kumaziko emfuno yombane. Umzekelo, uninzi lweefama zomoya kwiphondo leLone Star zikwindawo ephakamileyo yasentshona yeTexas kwaye zakhiwa emva kokuba urhulumente echithe iibhiliyoni esakha iintambo zothumelo lomgama omde ukufumana amandla apho afuneka khona.
Uninzi lweefama zomoya ezingcono kakhulu elunxwemeni e-US (iindawo eziluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka) zikude noluntu oluselunxwemeni, kodwa ezi zixeko zinokubonelelwa ziifama zomoya ezikude nonxweme. (Umthombo: NREL)
Amandla elanga kunye neebhetri zinokucombulula ezinye zezi ngxaki. Kodwa ukuveliswa kombane kude nonxweme nako kuneenzuzo ezininzi.
Kanye njengokuba umoya oselunxwemeni unciphisa iindleko zamandla kubathengi, umoya waselwandle kulindeleke ukuba wenze okufanayo.
Ngaphezulu kwesiqingatha sabemi base-US abahlala ngaphakathi kweemayile ezingama-50 elunxwemeni, iifama zomoya ezikude nonxweme zikufutshane kumaziko emfuno yombane. Oku kuyinyani ngakumbi kwiGulf of Mexico, apho izixeko ezikhulu ezifana neHouston kunye neNew Orleans zikhoyo, kunye noxinzelelo lwezityalo zepetrochemical kunye namazibuko. Endaweni yokubeka amakhulu eekhilomitha zeengcingo ezihamba phezulu kunye nesiphumo selungelo lendlela kunye neengxabano zokusebenzisa umhlaba, iinkampani zombane zinokusebenzisa iintambo zangaphantsi kolwandle ukuzisa amandla omoya kwiindawo zemizi-mveliso.
Kubalulekile ukuqaphela ukuba umoya wolwandle uncedisa umoya womhlaba. Ngemini eshushu yasehlotyeni, isantya somoya entshona Texas sacotha kwaye imimoya engaselunxwemeni yaphakama ngokuthe ngcembe, inceda ukuhlangabezana nemfuno ephezulu yasehlotyeni kunye nokuphucula ukuthembeka kwenethiwekhi.
Imakethi yehlabathi yamandla omoya aselunxwemeni sele yomelele, kodwa kude kube ngoku i-US ibingekho. Ubuninzi bomhlaba apha bukhuthaze ukukhula kwamandla omoya oselunxwemeni, kodwa kwenze buthathaka ukugaleleka kwabantu emanzini.
Oku kuyatshintsha njengoko imithetho yothintelo engqongqo kumazwe amakhulu omoya afana ne-Iowa enciphisa umgama onokubekwa oomatshini bomoya, ukonyusa iindleko zokwakha kunye nokunciphisa ukufumaneka kweziza ezamkelekileyo. Imiqobo yomthamo wegridi yamandla yase-US nayo yenza kube nzima ukuzisa amandla omoya emarikeni.
Wamkelekile kwiGulf, nonke niyayivuyela le mikhwa, kwaye idityaniswa nenkxaso eyongeziweyo yamandla omoya ophuma elunxwemeni kuMthetho weMozulu, kukhangeleka ngathi amandla omoya ase-US aselunxwemeni alungele ixesha legolide. Sibona iGulf of Mexico njengendawo enomtsalane ngakumbi yokwenza ishishini.
Ubunzulu bechweba, amaqondo obushushu aphezulu kunye namaza azolileyo ayalawuleka xa kuthelekiswa neengqele kunye neemeko ezirhabaxa zaseNorth Sea, kuMntla weAtlantiki kunye nonxweme lwaseJapan, apho amandla omoya ophuma kude nonxweme sele eqalile. Ubunzulu bamanzi ukuya kuthi ga kwi-160 leenyawo - okwangoku obona bunzulu beeinjini zomoya ezisisigxina - banda malunga neemayile ezingama-90 kunxweme olusemzantsi-mpuma weTexas kunye nonxweme olusemazantsi eLouisiana, kunye neNantucket kunye neSidiliya sikaMartha kumntla-mpuma malunga neemayile ezingama-40 kuphela.
Indawo engaphantsi kwamanzi kweli chweba ibonakala ngamathambeka athambileyo kuneendawo esele ziqwalaselwe uphuhliso ngaselunxwemeni lwaseVirginia. Oku kuthetha ukuba iiinjini zomoya ezisisigxina ezisezantsi zingasetyenziswa kwiindawo ezininzi kunezixokelelwano ezidadayo, zinciphisa ukuntsokotha.
Kubalulekile ukuba uqaphele ukuba i-Gulf Coast ine-industry eyomeleleyo ye-offshore ekhonza abavelisi be-oyile kunye negesi kunye neenkampani ezininzi ezikhethekileyo ezibonelela ngeenkonzo ezifana ne-welding ephantsi kwamanzi, i-platform fabrication, kunye ne-helicopter kunye neenkonzo zeenqanawa zokuthutha abantu kunye nezixhobo ukuya elwandle. Ngo-2019, ukuveliswa kweoli kunye negesi kwiGulf of Mexico kubonelele malunga ne-345,000 yemisebenzi.
Iifama zomoya kwiPersian Gulf zinokusebenzisa izixhobo ezikhoyo. Kukho phantse iimayile ezili-1,200 zeentambo zangaphantsi kolwandle ezinokudlulisela amandla omoya elunxwemeni. Amandla omoya nawo angadityaniswa kwinkqubo enkulu yamandla equka ukuveliswa kwehydrogen eluhlaza kunye nokugcinwa, kunye nokubamba ikhabhoni.
Ukuxhasa abasebenzi kunye nabantu abasesichengeni Sikwakholelwa ukuba amandla omoya ovela kude nonxweme anokunceda ukufikelela kwiinjongo zobulungisa kokusingqongileyo. Ukuveliswa kombane ococekileyo nongenakhabhoni kuya kunceda endaweni yeendawo zokucokisa kunye neefektri ezisebenza kunye nokuvelisa umbane kumafutha efosili. Ezi ndawo zenze umonakalo omkhulu kwimpilo yezixeko ezifana neHouston kunye noluntu lwemibala e-United States.
Uphuhliso lwamandla omoya kwiGulf lukwabonelela ngethuba lenguquko egudileyo yabasebenzi njengoko iMelika icutha kancinane ukuxhomekeka kwayo kumafutha efosili. I-Louisiana iqalisile ukuphuhlisa imimiselo yomoya ophuma elunxwemeni kumanzi karhulumente kwaye ifuna inkxaso-mali yomanyano kunye ne-Arkansas kunye ne-Oklahoma ukuseka iziko le-hydrogen elicocekileyo lengingqi.
Uhlaza luthetha ukuba ulwamkelo lweprojekthi yamandla omanyano lucotha kakhulu, kwaye iiprojekthi zomoya kumanzi omdibaniso zinokuthatha iminyaka ukugqiba. Kodwa iiprojekthi kumanzi karhulumente - ukuya kuthi ga kwiikhilomitha ezi-3 zolwandle ukusuka elunxwemeni kwiindawo ezininzi kunye neekhilomitha ezili-9 ukusuka elunxwemeni eTexas - zinokugqitywa ngokukhawuleza okukhulu.
Okuninzi kuxhomekeke ekubeni amazwe anamandla afana neTexas kunye neLouisiana abone ithuba lokwandisa igama lawo njengeenkokeli zamandla kumandla omoya aphesheya kolwandle. Njengoko sele sibonile, amandla omoya ophuma elunxwemeni kwiPersian Gulf aya kuba yingenelo kummandla, ilizwe nakwimozulu yehlabathi.
Umbhali uMichael E. Webber ngunjingalwazi wamandla kwiYunivesithi yaseTexas eAustin, ezinikele kwikhulu leminyaka likaJosie.
UHugh Daigle nguNjingalwazi oNxibeleleyo wePetroleum kunye neGeosystems Engineering kwiDyunivesithi yaseTexas eAustin.
Ixesha lokuposa: Aug-20-2022
