U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has approved the Cape Wind offshore wind farm project! In addition to giving the go-ahead, Salazar outlined a few tweaks to incorporate the concerns of those who have opposed the project.
- The project will be reduced in scope from the original 170 turbines planned to 130.
- Additional marine surveys will be required before construction to make sure the archaeological heritage of the site can be preserved.
- Other measures will need be incorporated to minimize the “visual impact” of the wind farm.
It’s hard to believe it’s been nine years since the first announcement of the project in the Nantucket Sound. Some residents of the surrounding area, including Wampanoag Indian tribes and the late Sen. Kennedy, have opposed the project because they believe it would obstruct their views (and disrupt spiritual rituals and ancient burial sites of the Indians).
But environmentalists around the country and five East Coast governors all rallied for its approval, and in the end, the U.S. is finally getting its first offshore wind farm. The wind farm will have a capacity of 420 MW — enough to meet 75 percent of Cape Cod and the Islands’ electricity needs.
The U.S. leads the world in wind energy capacity, but we’ve lagged behind other countries, especially in Europe, that have forged ahead with offshore wind.
Why is this a big deal? Because offshore wind is stronger, more consistent and near coastal population centers, meaning more power generation, less gaps in electricity and no need for huge transmission networks (like those needed to distribute wind energy generated in the middle of the country).
via Boston Globe