First U.S. offshore wind farm wins preliminary approval

First U.S. offshore wind farm wins preliminary approval

First U.S. offshore wind farm wins preliminary approval
mongabay.com
May 23, 2007

The first offshore wind farm in the United States won preliminary approval Tuesday from a panel of Delaware state officials.



According to published reports, four Delaware state agencies ordered Delmarva Power, an electric utility, to buy wind-generated power from Bluewater Wind, the wind farm’s developer.



“The offshore wind [farm] is just so over-and-above more clean than the proposed coal plant or, for that matter, the gas plant,” the Washington Post quoted Phil Cherry, of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, as saying. “It’s zero emissions. It’s got no carbon footprint.”

Image courtesy of Bluewater Wind

Rehoboth Beach is said to be the leading site for the wind farm.



However there are still many steps before the first of the more than 250-foot tall turbines is installed. Bluewater has to come to terms with Delmarva Power over the design and power output of the wind farm, while state and federal agencies still need to give final approval. It also appears that the wind farm will be smaller than initially proposed, according to reports.



Wind power presently accounts for about 6.5 percent of renewable energy production in the United States account to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA). While this represents about 0.6 percent of total U.S. electricity generation, the National Research Council, a nonprofit institution that provides science and technology advice under a congressional charter, expects the contribution of wind energy is rise significantly by 2020.



Meanwhile, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that capital spending on new wind projects in the U.S. rose from $420 million in 2004 to $3.65 billion in 2006. Conventional energy firms, notably Royal Dutch Shell Group and BP, have shown interest in wind power.



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Chart showing total energy production in the United States for 2006. Renewable energy sources are in green. Figures from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA). Chart created by Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com. Click image to enlarge. (right) Chart showing renewable energy production in the United States for 2006. In total, energy from renewable sources, including conventional hydroelectric, amounts to 9.74% of U.S. electricity generation. Excluding hydroelectric, the amount falls to 2.57%. Figures from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Information Administration (EIA). Chart created by Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com.