New Report: Offshore Wind Could Power Entire U.S.
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.11.06
There is as much wind power potential (900,000 megawatts) off our coasts as the current capacity of all power plants in the United States combined, according to a new report entitled "A Framework for Offshore Wind Energy Development in the United States", sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and General Electric. The Framework report finds the greatest wind power potential offshore the highly-populated urban coastal areas of the northeast and it recognizes the roles of Cape Wind and the Long Island offshore wind project in creating the momentum to develop offshore wind power in the United States.
The three passages below are examples of these points being made in the Framework:
- The United States is getting started with two serious project proposals located off the coasts of Massachusetts and New York. Sustaining and building on this momentum will require leadership and the collective action of all interested parties.
- “Most of the total potential offshore wind resources exist relatively close to major urban load centers, where high energy costs prevail and where opportunities for wind development on land are limited. This is especially true in the densely populated Northeast, where nearly one-fifth of that national populations lives on less than 2% of the total land area.
- Offshore wind energy is also an attractive option for the Northeast because slightly more than half the country’s offshore wind potential is located off the New England and Mid-Atlantic coasts, where water depths generally deepen gradually with distance from shore. This attribute allows for the initial development of offshore wind in relatively shallow waters followed by a transition to deeper waters further for shore as the technology is advanced.”
Jim Gordon, the President of Cape Wind, was pleased to see the Framework’s recognition of the role that offshore wind can play in addressing key national priorities, saying, “The Framework recognizes that offshore wind can meet a significant share of the energy requirements of the Northeast while helping to diversify our energy sources, protect public health and the environment, create jobs, help stabilize energy prices and make us more energy independent.” Gordon continued, “Cape Wind will help to catalyze America’s use of offshore wind to become a major supply of energy for the Northeast.”
:: Via AboutMyPlanet via Cape Cod Today. See also our previous coverage of Offshore Wind Power, ::Wind map shows that world's wind potential is huge
Not new: September of 2005. Still useful, though.
In 5 years, the offshort fans go under water because of global warming.
Opps. Bye bye 2 billion.
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editor note: Then they become underwater turbines!
As a coastal-dwelling New Englander, I welcome the turbines! Considering how crummy our air is throughout the NY/CT/RI coastal area, I would think most everyone would support this.
InconvientTruth,
Even if the sea rose 50 feet they'd be alright. These things are HUGE. I pretty sure these things float anyways.
And the migratory birds?
Very good.
Two issues, although I think each has solutions.
1. Are the power-line losses to land-locked states worth offshore wind-sites? Not really a relavent question, since I'm sure it would make more sense to everyone to go for on-shore wind.
2. Off-shore wind does pose a slight technical obstacle for early warning radars around the US due to scattered radar signals. This should be fairly easy to mask out. A better solution would be to moor the proposed airships directly above said offshore wind turbines (and drawing power if needed). This would elminate the scatter (radar wouldn't be looking straight down anyway), and would have the added bonus of being further out and thus provide even earlier warning.
So in a way, for the DoD it's actually an advantage to have offshore wind power.
I think this statement (and following section) is key, if they're true to their word:
"It is essential that current knowledge of environmental and user group sensitivities be incorporated into the offshore wind energy system design process at the earliest stage..."
Here in the UK, where windfarming seems to have proceeded piecemeal, there have been cases of farms being placed in ecologically or scenically (both are legitimate issues)inappropriate sites, and has upped the rancour. This has helped to createled to a "for 'em or against 'em" situation which serves no one.
For something with (like it or not) as much of an impact as a windfarm, it's far better to figure out, comprehensively and in advance, where the optimal sites are.
Great Idea! It would be nice to see our leaders take some rathional and logical solutions to our energy dependancy.Our children depend on this.
heyy this web is awesome. any way these are way better than using gas. saved me alot of money
As a first generation US citizen I am so disappointed in our elected officials when it comes to renewable energy options!! If we as a nation can build an atomic bomb in less than five years that has changed life on this planet forever. Why is it not possible to create a true option to fossil fuel? It is!!! We need a new Manhattan Project and an Energy leading government that backs these great projects such as these offshore efforts.
web technical comment: "capewind" in the text links to http://capewind.org. This does not work. The link should be http://www.capewind.org