Regular readers caught the post yesterday about the heat in New England and how – it’s been hotter, but it is still hot. If you have a pool, you’re in it, and if you happen to be living or vacationing on a beach, that water is a much sought-after relief, unless you’re in Nantucket.
Debris from a broken Vineyard Wind turbine blade washed up all over Nantucket’s south shore Tuesday morning, prompting the offshore energy company to mount a cleanup effort and the federal government to shut down the wind farm “until further notice.” ..
“The water is closed to swimming on all south shore beaches, due to large floating debris and sharp fiberglass shards,” Nantucket Harbormaster Sheila Lucey said. “You can walk on the beaches, however we strongly recommend you wear footwear due to sharp, fiberglass shards and debris on the beaches.”
I’m not a betting man, but I doubt the tri-fold glossy brochure pushing Wind on Nantucket – not that those libs would need much encouragement – said anything about sharp fiberglass shards. How do you even fit that into the conversation?
Yeah, so we might kill some whales, dolphins, that sort of thing, but it’s still green. Save the earth (don’t ask what China burns to build them or where the concrete and steel came from or the ships…). And now and again, as often as say, well – we don’t know – one of the turbines might get damaged by the wind, yes, the wind, resulting in some “particulates” in the ocean. Like emissions, right? You ever handle that pink insulation without gloves, and you get these slivers that sort of burn and itch, and scratching at them makes it worse, and you can’t get them out. It’s not like that. It’s different.
Vineyard Wind stated Tuesday that it is “mobilizing debris recovery teams on Nantucket to survey the southern-facing beaches of the island for the recovery of debris following the blade damage incident that took place on Saturday, July 13, 2024. In addition, Vineyard Wind remains focused on ensuring the safety of personnel and mariners in the offshore area, and continues to work with the U.S. Coast Guard to maintain a safety zone of 500 meters around the impacted turbine offshore.”
Does anyone dare ask what the carbon footprint of the “debris recovery team” might be? Solar-powered skiffs, yes? Made of responsibly sourced, Fair Trade, post-consumer material.
Thank God it’s not hotter than hell out. Oh, sorry. It’s a nice beach. It’s a shame you can’t use it.
One more thing. I noticed that the turbine debris is green. And all this time, I thought green “energy” was supposed to mean something else.
Image Credit: Wind turbine debris https://nantucketcurrent.com/news/vineyard-wind-reports-turbine-blade-damage-in-offshore-incident
