Now that the Interior Department has issued approval for Cape Wind, what do you all think it means for offshore wind in the US?
The way I see it companies will still be hesitant to move ahead with projects since the approval process took 10 years, but it sets a precident & should mean permitting becomes easier for subsequent projects. from a Grist.org article today
"This will be the first of many projects up and down the Atlantic coast which I expect will come online in the years ahead as we build a new energy future for our country," (Int Secretary) Salazar said at a press conference in Boston on Wednesday.
There are currently proposals to build nearly 2,500 megawatts' worth of offshore wind farms from Massachusetts to North Carolina, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Other developers want to put wind farms off the Texas coast and in the Great Lakes.
The article also says that 10MW turbines are in development that could drasticly reduce cost for construction of off-shore farms (75-90% fewer turbines for same power). That could get really interesting.
The way I see it companies will still be hesitant to move ahead with projects since the approval process took 10 years, but it sets a precident & should mean permitting becomes easier for subsequent projects. from a Grist.org article today
"This will be the first of many projects up and down the Atlantic coast which I expect will come online in the years ahead as we build a new energy future for our country," (Int Secretary) Salazar said at a press conference in Boston on Wednesday.
There are currently proposals to build nearly 2,500 megawatts' worth of offshore wind farms from Massachusetts to North Carolina, according to the American Wind Energy Association. Other developers want to put wind farms off the Texas coast and in the Great Lakes.
The article also says that 10MW turbines are in development that could drasticly reduce cost for construction of off-shore farms (75-90% fewer turbines for same power). That could get really interesting.