Dubbed Vineyard Wind, it will be situated around 20 kilometres off the Nantucket coast and Martha’s Vineyard, electricity produced will be enough to power 4,00,000 homes
A view of the coast off Martha’s Vineyard, Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The American government has given approval for yet another major offshore wind farm, after approving a 1100MW offshore wind project off the coast of southern New Jersey recently. The project is set to be located 22.2 kilometres off the coast of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Dubbed Vineyard Wind, the wind farm has an expected capacity of 800MW which is enough to fulfil the electricity demand of 4,00,000 families. Vineyard Wind will be a major step towards fulfilling the American government’s goal to generate 30GW of energy from offshore wind farms alone by the end of this decade.
Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo said in a statement: “Today’s offshore wind project announcement demonstrates that we can fight the climate crisis, while creating high-paying jobs and strengthening our competitiveness at home and abroad. This project is an example of the investments we need to achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious climate goals, and I’m proud to be part of the team leading the charge on offshore wind.”
Vineyard Wind will operate 84 wind turbines and its scale has helped position America among nations which are currently leading the wind energy industry such as Germany, UK and China. In America, wind power has become the fastest-growing energy source and is expected to continue its trailblazing growth in the coming decade. Along with hydro-power, wind power has already pushed up America’s share of energy from renewable sources to 20%. The sector is also expected to be the biggest creator of jobs in the renewable energy sector. In addition to economic recovery, America has also pinned its hopes on the wind industry to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
Commenting on the project, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said: “A clean energy future is within our grasp in the United States. The approval of this project is an important step toward advancing the Administration’s goals to create good-paying union jobs while combating climate change and powering our nation.”
