Another hurdle cleared for Cape Wind
Last week, the Cape Wind offshore wind farm was approved by the federal government, but there were still some unknowns left to deal with, a major one being who would buy the power the wind farm generated. Today, that part has at least partially been decided, with Massachusetts utility National Grid agreeing to purchase half of the power starting in 2013.
Under the contract, National Grid will buy the electricity at 20.7 cents per kWh, which will lead to an increase of only about $1.59 per month on its customers energy bills.
The contract is a win-win for National Grid and Cape Wind. The agreement is enough for the wind farm to start securing financing and investors and the electricity being purchased will equal three percent of the utility's total load -- a big step towards a state requirement to get 15 percent of their total electricity from renewable sources by 2020.
The project is set to be completed by the end of 2012, but there are still other hurdles to clear: more purchase agreements are needed, many lawsuits have been filed to halt the project and lots of red tape lays ahead to build the wind farm.
via Earth2Tech
Source: http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/1370/another-hurdle-cleared-for-cape-wind.html;_ylt=AvxBO67HReFT6mW6_avFLfOIV8cX
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.
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
Source: http://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/1362/cape-wind-project-approved.html;_ylt=Apwz.a0k0Q09Szogow456J.IV8cX
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