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R.I.P., Cape Wind (bostonglobe.com)
schwit1 quotes the Boston Globe: What a long, slow death it has been for Massachusetts's first proposed offshore wind farm. But now, its proponents are finally pulling the plug. While others in the energy industry considered the Cape Wind project dead, developer Jim Gordon didn't quit after losing power contracts he needed for financing in early 2015, or after state regulators yanked permission for a power line connection last year.
Another big blow came later in 2016 when Cape Wind foes worked their magic on Beacon Hill. They successfully lobbied lawmakers to prevent Cape Wind from benefitting from a major energy bill, one that requires utilities to buy large amounts of offshore wind. This was exactly the kind of legislation Gordon needed. But he wasn't being allowed at the party...
We're embarking on a new era. Wind turbines are on their way for deeper waters, south of Martha's Vineyard. They won't be Gordon's. But at least he can take some credit, in his defeat, for being a pioneer.
Another big blow came later in 2016 when Cape Wind foes worked their magic on Beacon Hill. They successfully lobbied lawmakers to prevent Cape Wind from benefitting from a major energy bill, one that requires utilities to buy large amounts of offshore wind. This was exactly the kind of legislation Gordon needed. But he wasn't being allowed at the party...
We're embarking on a new era. Wind turbines are on their way for deeper waters, south of Martha's Vineyard. They won't be Gordon's. But at least he can take some credit, in his defeat, for being a pioneer.
The reoccurring cause is the whole NIMBY, because the rich didn't want their view ruined. You all do understand this isn't the view from shore they are complaining about being ruined. In nearly all the cases the wind turbines wouldn't be visible from land.
The view they are talking about being ruined is the view from their fishing boats, sail boats, and yachts 20 miles off shore.
I regularly poo poo on all things tree huggerish, but as an engineer I love wind turbines. There is enough potential wind power just off shore in the US to install 4 times the current power requirements.
Throw in Geo, Solar, and a bunch of base loading produced by coal/natural gas, nuclear, and if Elon can get them to work battery's, and basically we have enough power capacity to fulfill demand for the next several hundred years for all sectors of the economy including transportation, without ever having to import another drop of oil from overseas again.
Wind Turbines are an ideal match for bog lands. They have a small terrestrial footprint and they do not impede sunlight. Some growers have experimented with leasing underproducing lands for solar but that has a few pitfalls. It's only profitable when the price of electricity produced per acre exceed the price of cranberries that could be produced by that same acre. For every acre of solar, they lose an acre of bog. This does not present itself as a problem with wind. Almost all the land except the turbines foot print can be actively cultivated. For the turbine owner, it's a perfect match as well. They have a lot less work for site development. Since your talking about agricultural land that has already been cleared so effectively that nothing grows higher than six inches above the mean soil line. The access and infrastructure needed to facilitate construction is already in place by virtue of the growers having already created and maintained to facilitate cranberry cultivation. The town governments aren't complaining, since the turbines increase the land value, thus raising the property taxes and increasing town revenue.
From a local standpoint, Cape Wind didn't benefit the local economy. If there were any generalized negatives, they've apparently been overlooked by towns like Bourne, Wareham, Middleboro and Plymouth. Wind development does not seem to be slowing in these towns.