On August 25th, SAPL and 350NH traveled to the New Hampshire Statehouse to meet with Governor Hassan’s staff and to present her with a 2,000-signature petition asking Governor Hassan to request a task force to study offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.
We plan to work with the new governor on this issue in the future as well.
Offshore Wind Energy Facts
- The US Department of Energy found that there are 40,000 megawatts of potential wind power within 30 miles of the coast of New England – more than the region’s total need for power.
- The state of Maine found that there are 150,000 megawatts of wind energy available within 50 miles of the coast of Maine – the highest wind concentration of wind energy in the country – enough to power the entire East Coast.
- Floating wind farms will be easier on the environment than the embedded foundations of conventional wind turbines.
- Floating wind farms offer a new level of flexibility to wind power, making the turbines mobile, easier to install and allowing them to be transported back to shore for repair or replacement when they reach the end of life.
- Floating technologies already exist. Full-scale prototypes have been field tested over several
years in open ocean conditions. This technology will allow turbines to be placed even farther out to sea, decreasing their visibility while increasing the potential wind power. - Floating wind farms can use the same type of turbine everywhere, opening the door for mass production (potential cost saving).
Image (right): Wind Float 5k off of Cabo da Roca, Portugal,
Photo courtesy of Principle Power
MORE READING
Offshore Wind Farms See Promise in Platforms That Float
This is an excellent article from The New York Times about offshore wind research going on at UMaine Orono which could lead to the first FLOATING wind farm in the US in just 3 years!