East Coast Offshore Wind Turbines
December 4, 2012
Looks as if the ocean view of some of you Eastcoasters may be changing over the next few years. The US Government has released new plans to offer leases towards large areas of ocean off the coast of Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Virginia that have a high potential for wind energy production. Around 200,000 acres will be available for lease starting in 2013. This amount of ocean space could potentially produce thousands of megawatts of energy and provide electricity to hundred of thousands, maybe even millions of homes. These potential offshore wind turbine projects will for sure come with hard opposition from residents and environmentalist but the government is convinced that they have chosen locations that will cause the least amount of damage to local plants and animal life. Offshore wind turbines are more expensive that building wind turbines on land, but the investment would be a great start towards cleaner energy in the future from offshore wind. If these trials prove successful, the US government would maybe consider looking into areas off the coast of Oregon or Hawaii to begin a Pacific offshore wind project. 