Contributed by Damien Gomez
Offshore wind resources could generate as much electricity 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 report finds the
greatest wind power potential offshore the highly-populated urban
coastal areas of the northeast and it recognizes the role of the Cape Cod wind project in setting a precedent for the development of offshore wind power in the United States.
Offshore wind farms support their turbines on fixed hollow towers called
monopoles and can reach 440 feet - taller than the Statue of Liberty. Total installed cost, including the turbine, is $2-3 million per megawatt, based on European experience.
Cape Wind plans to build America's first offshore wind farm over 24 square miles in Nantucket Sound. The $900 million project calls for 130 turbines to produce 420 megawatts of power, providing at least three quarters of the Cape Cod region's electricity needs.
The project has generated opposition from homeowners and fishermen, but according to the Union of Concerned Scientists: "with proper siting careful design, comprehensive
study, monitoring, and mitigation, wind power can and should play a
significant role in the Northeast region's electricity system."
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