Can Wind Power Make Us Rich Again?

The David McWilliams Podcast

David McWilliams

News & Politics

4.5 • 692 Ratings

🗓️ 16 December 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ireland controls seven times more sea than land, and with the Atlantic blowing 25% stronger winds than the North Sea, we sit on one of the greatest untapped energy jackpots on Earth. This episode dives into the staggering 600 gigawatt potential of offshore wind off Ireland’s coast, enough to power every home and factory in the EU, several times over. So why haven’t we built a new offshore wind farm in 20 years? From floating turbines to fiscal unions, Dutch perpetual bonds to data centres in the Burren, we break down how wind could be Ireland’s next IDA moment, if we can overcome our engineering phobia and stop thinking like a museum.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Just before we start, if you're looking for a Christmas present that actually lasts,
0:04.6	are a New Year's gift to yourself, this just might be it.
0:08.6	Over on our Patreon, we're launching a brand new monetary economics course from January
0:15.3	the 5th.
0:16.2	It's my MBA course, the same when I teach the students at Trinity, broken down and made accessible.
0:22.0	It's master's level education at national school prices. You'll get weekly lessons, quizzes,
0:28.4	and yes, there's going to be a little certificate at the end. So if you want to start the year
0:33.1	sharper, curious, learning something that actually matters, Join me on Patreon from January the 5th.
0:39.6	That's patreon.com forward slash David McWilliams.
0:44.2	Today's podcast is all about the extraordinary,
0:46.9	maybe even gigantic potential opportunity
0:49.5	that is wind farms in the Atlantic,
0:52.8	off Ireland's Atlantic coast,
0:54.9	which is actually seven times greater or bigger than the island itself.
1:00.0	An extraordinary way to reimagine Ireland for the 21st century.
1:05.2	That's all coming up in a couple of minutes.
1:09.0	To understand the economy, you have to understand human nature.
1:15.1	This podcast is powered by ACAST.
1:22.7	You know,
1:23.6	and the world. North at Sierra, South at Sierra, German Bight.
1:40.5	Southeasterly becoming variable, three or four, tundery showers. Good.
1:46.7	How you doing there? It's podcast time. That is John dropping the book that he was reading
	...

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