Offshore Winds Could Help Meet East Coast Power Needs
A new report by the conservation advocacy organization Oceana says that offshore Atlantic Ocean winds could be a cost-effective method of powering a significant portion of the East Coast – particularly the Carolinas, Massachusetts, Delaware, Virginia and New Jersey.
The study proposes that offshore wind could generate 30% more electrical power along the East Coast than might be produced by the area’s untapped gas and oil. It forecasts that offshore ocean winds could be priced competitively compared to nuclear energy and natural gas to generate electricity.
The report was issued as the latest developments are beginning to press U.S. endeavors to close the gap with China and Europe on capitalizing on the energy found in offshore wind. China’s offshore wind farm pilot was constructed in 2008 while just last week, the United Kingdom opened the largest wind farm on the planet.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently issued a draft of a plan to create an American offshore wind power program.
Cape Wind, the country’s initial offshore wind farm, based in Massachusetts, has obtained all of its licensing permits, but is ensnared in lawsuits. Three additional offshore wind initiatives are in the process of obtaining permits.
Opponents of the Massachusetts project claim that the wind turbines might alter the habitat, putting sea mammals, migratory birds, and other wildlife at risk. Furthermore, they contend that public subsidies make wind farms appear to be more economically feasible than they really are.
Oceana offered its study as presenting a better alternative to offshore drilling.
The report bases the per-kilowatt-hour cost of offshore wind power at10 to 13 cents on a 2007 study. However, it is the same price that the U.S. Department of Energy has targeted for the next twenty years.
Jackie Savits of Oceana said “In 20 years we assume we’ll use up all the oil, but we won’t use up all the wind.”
