August 16, 2010
Why Offshore Wind is Viable for Northeastern, East Central Coastal States
In Europe, North Sea-bordering countries have installed numerous offshore wind farms to transform strong, constant sea winds into energy.
U.S. northeastern coastal states along the Atlantic Ocean likewise have access to winds suitable for offshore turbines, particularly Martha’s Vinyard, Cape Cod and Nantucket Island, and along Maine’s southern coast, New Hampshire’s eastern coast, and the coasts of Long Island and New Jersey, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the United States.
The wind atlas also shows that the coastal regions of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia and together with the northeastern coastal states have access to suitable winds for offshore wind farms, but no offshore wind farms exist in the U.S.
Offshore wind energy, nevertheless, is a viable energy source for northeastern and east central coastal states with many positive features. Read more…
