In a first, a German offshore wind farm will use Chinese turbines
In a first, a German offshore wind farm will use Chinese turbines
A German offshore wind farm in the North Sea will use Chinese-made turbines for the first time (and they're mighty).
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/17739149
The claims about the Chinese having superior European ESG compliance and Cybersecurity are hard to believe, but could be that they just have the resources (and speed) to get their products to comply, while European competitors are too slow. But then again, could also be that it's just about the price tag in the end and they just want to hide this fact by stating other reasons
That’s a shame…
Clean energy, and its Hardware might also be cheaper. So where’s the problem?
There's a bunch:
- These things come with software (which is updateable) and remote maintenance options. Luxcara say they checked the IT security of the product they bought but the next buyers won't necessarily do the same.
- It contradicts the idea that renewables make us independent from autocracies.
- It contradicts the idea that renewables can ensure economic growth.
- It's embarrassing for Germany which used to be one of the leading builders of wind turbines but has lost a lot of market share in the past decade. Gamesa has massive technical issues, Vestas is investing in India, and now German wind parks built with Chinese turbines.
And in addition to that, let's not forget that the cheap price comes from a country with intransparent supply chains and from the use of forced labour.