On January 16, 2009, Governor Patrick announced his goal for 2,000 MW of wind-powered electricity generating capacity to be installed in Massachusetts by 2020. To put that number in perspective, the commonwealth currently houses about 13,500 MW of electricity generating capacity – of which wind makes-up a negligible amount. Assuming that the installation of 2,000 MW of wind-powered electricity would be completely additional, i.e., no plant was retired, wind-turbines would account for about 13% of total generating capacity in Massachusetts.
The installation of such a large amount of wind-power, in such a public and popular location, would attract substantial international attention. Currently, the world’s two largest wind farms, Denmark’s Horns Rev 2 and England’s Lynn and Inner Dowsing plant, are capable of generating 209 MW and 194 MW of electricity, respectively. The installation of so much wind-power by the Commonwealth would send a clear message that our state is serious about renewable energy.
That said, there are always two sides to an argument. The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound – the largest group opposing Cape Cod wind-power – states that potential adverse impacts on the economy, the environment, and Native-American heritage rights, outweigh the benefits of Cape Wind. Time will tell if Massachusetts will meet its renewable energy goals, but it appears that the pendulum is shifting… slowly. Governor Patrick’s announcement comes on the heals of legislation passed last year that encourages state-wide increases in renewable energy. Stay tuned.
Beautiful picture.
“The installation of such a large amount of wind-power, in such a public and popular location, would attract substantial international attention,” is a little confusing. Are you suggesting that Cape Wind should be many-fold larger? It’s only expected to generate 170MW. Of course, the MTC indicates that the Cape is not the only place one can place turbines. Indeed, Hull is well known for embracing aeolian power.
As another point of reference, which recently made the news, MA currently only has 9 MW of wind capacity. Also, The Globe published a piece Saturday on the difficulties faced by wind power in MA.
If built, the Cape Wind project would have a rated generating capacity of 468 MW; 170 MW is an average production figure.
That being said, yes, I can see where your confusion comes from. In regard to the sentence that you cited, I was not talking specifically about Cape Wind; rather the projected 2,000 MW of wind-turbines if located off the Massachusetts coast. I should have made that more clear.
In other news, Harvard University announced today (Nov. 2) that more than 10 percent of the electricity consumed on its Cambridge and Allston campuses soon will be supplied from a wind farm in northern Maine. To see more of the Harvard Gazette article visit: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/11/harvard-to-become-largest-institutional-buyer-of-wind-power-in-new-england/