In our country’s race to become more energy independent, offshore wind farms have taken a back seat to the offshore drilling debate that is currently heating up in our politics. Realistically, we could be seeing these offshore wind farms begin to pop-up off the Atlantic coast sometime in the near future, way before any oil rigs. CNN.com tells us:
Delaware hopes to be the first state to construct a wind farm off its coast. The project, scheduled to be completed in 2012, is one of several offshore wind proposals that have cleared significant hurdles in recent months.
Proponents say wind offers more long-term energy independence than offshore oil. Residents along the Eastern seaboard are embracing it as a stable-priced, environmentally friendly energy alternative.
“When people see the price of gas hit $4, they are very open to having discussions about alternatives,” said Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a nonprofit group.
Wind energy today accounts for only 1 percent of the nation’s electricity. A May report from the Energy Department concluded wind energy could generate 20 percent by 2030, with offshore sources accounting for nearly 20 percent of that. Projects mostly would be located along the Atlantic coast because the seabed floor elsewhere drops off too quickly to anchor turbines.
Offshore wind farms present a promising source of unlimited energy. According to an article written by TreeHugger.com, there is as much potential wind power off our coasts as the current capacity of all power plants in the U.S. combined. [Continue Reading →]
