The East Coast is one of the most densely populated strips of land in the country. With its sprawling suburbs and jammed roads, it is a national leader in carbon emissions, making low-lying coastal areas, including Delaware, targets of global warming hype and computer simulation catastrophes.
In Delaware, just three percent of available coastal wind could supply 17 percent of the state's energy needs; energy currently provided by fossil fuels. This substitution would help provide a feasible solution to ever-growing energy concerns.
No offshore turbines currently exist in the United States. On May 8, the Delaware Public Service Commission unanimously voted to negotiate with Bluewater Wind LLC, and one of two companies currently vying to provide a natural gas or coal-fired back-up plant, to build the nation's first offshore wind farm along the Delaware coast.
After months of deliberation, the decision came one week after the PSC issued a report recommending Delmarva Power, the largest energy provider in the state, contract Bluewater to build a trimmed-down version of the wind park.
Pending final approval from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the Office of Management and Budget and the Controller Generals Office, Bluewater Wind representative Jim Lanard said the turbines, which emit no greenhouse gases, will be up and spinning by 2011.
"I come to this project with a great deal of confidence that we're doing the right thing for the environment," Lanard said of the wind park, which would power 130,000 households annually with an energy that is 98.5 percent cleaner than energy extracted from coal.
In a collaborative study conducted by professor Willett Kempton and a team of researchers, it was estimated East Coast wind farms could provide the Mid-Atlantic region with enough alternative offshore wind power to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 68 percent and greenhouse gases by 57 percent, Kempton said.
Although some are skeptical about the reliability of wind power, he said wind power technology has already proven itself in other countries like Denmark, where combined wind parks meet 20 percent of the country's energy needs.
"It's hard to do politically," Kempton said. "But technically, we're starting to make a major dent in climate change."
The study also concluded that the Atlantic Ocean's gradual continental shelf would allow turbines to be placed approximately six to 12 miles from the crowded East Coast, making it the perfect location to develop wind farms. For Delaware, the high cost of energy coupled with ideal geography has made wind power an attractive alternative to fossil fuel.
Last year, after energy prices spiked 59 percent, Delaware legislators forced Delmarva Power to seek bids for an alternative source of in-state power that would protect the environment and provide stable prices.
In August 2006, House Bill 6 initiated a bidding process in which three companies - Conectiv, NRG Energy and Bluewater Wind - emerged as frontrunners. While NRG Energy's proposal for a plant using "clean coal" gasification technology had initial support, Bluewater Wind's 600-megawatt offshore wind park began to gain momentum, making clear that state agencies and the public were interested in renewable energy more than fossil fuel.
Jeremy Firestone, a marine and earth studies professor, extensively researched opinions in Delaware on wind power with Kempton and graduate student Andrew Krueger.
The high level of public support for wind power was astounding because an identical survey regarding an offshore park on Cape Cod, Mass., had previously met fierce disapproval, Firestone said.
"We were really shocked at the differences between Delaware and Cape Cod," he said.
Delaware residents, with preference given to coastal areas and people owning beach-front property, were given the scenario of a 130-turbine offshore wind farm, Firestone said. The project received an overwhelming 78 percent approval rating with only four percent in complete opposition to the turbines. If constructed, the turbines would stand 400 feet tall to the tip of the thin, spinning blade.
Lanard said he partially attributes the popularity of Bluewater's proposal to a recent surge in global warming awareness, but also to the public support and the company's extensive community outreach efforts.
"We're really proud of the public support that stands behind the offshore wind project," he said. "We had hundreds of meetings for months and months previewing what the wind farms would be like."
Patrick McCullar, president and CEO of Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation, said he is eager to advance the idea of renewable energy in Delaware by purchasing part of its power from Bluewater.
"We had received a lot of input from our customers that said they wanted renewable energy," McCullar said. "We think it's the right thing for Delaware."
According to a DEMEC press release, the agreement between DEMEC and Bluewater is estimated to be worth between $200 and $300 million.
These funds would provide nine municipally-owned distribution utilities with partial renewable energy and include Newark, McCullar said. Ten percent of the university's electric would then be generated by wind power.
"Overwhelmingly, people speak in favor of renewable energy," he said. "While it is not the single solution, we think it's an important part of the final solution."
Jack Markell, Delaware's state treasurer and an early advocate of wind power, said although a wind farm is expensive - costing up to $2 billion to construct - he believes the extra money is a worthwhile investment.
"Most power plants, in order to create power, have to have a raw resource," Markell said. "You don't have to pay for wind."
In addition to the economic and environmental benefits the wind park would pose, he said he is delighted the public has been involved in the process.
"It's very gratifying to see the public taking such an interest in something that will have an impact for 100 years," Markell said.
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our feed
Contact us through email
Be the first to comment on this article!