Harnessing energy from winds blowing off the Atlantic Ocean could be more economically feasible than using fossil fuels to meet the electricity demand of most states in the East Coast, according to a study by Oceana.
The nonprofit advocacy group revealed that offshore wind generates nearly 30 percent more electricity than the region’s offshore oil and gas resources combined. In fact, Delaware, Massachusetts and North Carolina could source 100 percent of its current electricity consumption from offshore wind alone, eliminating the need for fossil fuel-based electric generation.
The three states were the top three consumers of fossil fuels in the East Coast in 2008. Offshore oil and gas accounted for 91 percent of Delaware’s total electricity consumption, 80 percent for Massachusetts and 64 percent for North Carolina.
However, these three states also have the most potential to generate offshore wind energy. Delaware can produce at least 2.8 gigawatts of energy, representing 137 percent of its total electric generation, while Massachusetts can generate 13.8 GW, accounting for 130 percent of its electricity needs. North Carolina can harness 37.9 GW to cover 112 percent of its electricity consumption.
   |
   |
On average, 11 jurisdictions in the East Coast, including South Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, Rhode Island, Maryland, Florida, New York and Georgia, can produce over 127 GW of offshore wind energy, which represents 48 percent of the region’s total electric generation.
Outside of the 11 states, Maine holds the largest offshore wind energy potential at 38.9 GW – an astounding 913 percent of its current total energy generation.
Offshore wind development would also cost about $36 billion less than offshore oil and gas production combined, while creating as much as 212,000 clean jobs annually in the United States – three times more jobs per dollar than its fossil fuel counterparts.
“Choosing wind instead of oil and gas, rather than taking an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach, will increase efficiency and lower costs for power production overall,” the study concludes.
But despite offshore wind’s economic benefits, the United States still lags in the offshore wind sector. Its pioneering offshore wind endeavor, the 468-megawatt Cape Wind project in Massachusetts, has yet to begin construction, although it has secured all the necessary permits.
Numerous European countries, led by Britain, have already adopted offshore wind options ahead of the United States. In September, Britain brought online the largest offshore wind farm in the world.
The $1.4 billion, 300-MW Thanet offshore wind farm is expected to generate 1 terawatt-hour of power annually – enough to meet the electricity needs of more than 200,000 British homes.
