Favorable Winds For Bay State’s Energy Future
BOSTON, MA- Today the Mineral Management Service (MMS) issued a positive final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cape Wind Project, paving the way for the nation’s first off-shore wind project to be built off the coast of Massachusetts.
“Today Massachusetts’ vision for a clean energy economy got one big step closer to reality” said Environment Massachusetts’ Field Organizer Winston Vaughan. “Cape wind will create enough clean, renewable energy to power over 125,000 homes and good jobs right here in the Bay State.”
The final environmental review comes on the heels of a speech by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in which he called for the state to meet 10% of its energy needs from wind power by 2020 and announcements from the incoming Obama administration that they intend to make clean energy projects a key part of their economic recovery package.
“Today’s announcement comes not a moment too soon” continued Vaughan. “this is exactly the kind of project that can help put America back to work building a clean energy future.”
Despite the announcement today, a few more hurdles remain before wind turbines begin to spin in Nantucket Sound.
“Today’s announcement is a milestone for clean energy in the Bay State but obstacles remain” concluded Vaughan. “The public will need to continue to organize and to call on their government to build this project-and our clean energy future-without delay.”
Cape Wind needs to be built – and the rest of the wind resource off our shore needs to be developed. What kind of hurdles still remain, and what can someone do to help it along?
Here’s the Cape Cod Times story HERE.
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p>The Bush administration deliberately released the MMS report, so the opponents couldn’t demand that ANOTHER seven years of examination begin again under the NEW Obama-headed MMS. No more county fair exhibits, no more evening long hearings…now, just a decision to be made, one way or the other.
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p>Now, in 30 days (well, 27 now) the new Sec. of the Interior can just issue the final approval without beginning the process all over.
When the pro Cape wind forces get what they want, they will
realize what they got is not what they wanted. These wind
machines will not be “specks on the horizon” the will be
obtrusive and will ruin what is a unique natural area in
our Nation. I am pro wind power and pro solar. In Maine
another 59 Megawatts of Wind power went on line this week. making a total so far of 165 Megawatts of windpower. The
difference is they are in unpopulated areas. You would have to find them. This wind power goes into the ISO New
England power grid in Medway, Mass. So would Cape Wind power. No matter what you were led to believe your electric bill will come from the same company. Why are you for it… they billed it as the solution to energy independence. Clean environmental friendly power that will solve the global warming crisis. Sure these will help, but there are plenty of places in New England, including Massachusetts where unobtrusive wind farms can be built. One of the players I know of in Cape wind can sell snow to an eskimo. If you are for the project youv’e just been sold a snow job and nantucket sound will never be the same if it is built.
All electricity EVERYWHERE goes into the grid, no matter where or how it is produced – the grid is the national distribution system. Even the wind farm outside Augusta, Maine which Gov. Baldacci dedicated TODAY goes into the grid. My electric bill now doesn’t come from Filthy Five Electric Plant of Bourne, but from Keyspan or Dominion, depending on which company I choose.
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p>I am not so much a hypocrite as to say about wind power ‘Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree!’. If I believe in it, I should accept it. For me, Cape Wind has always been a matter of national security – every drop of oil we import is a bullet in our side. We need energy autonomy in our country, the sooner the better.
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p> I’ve owned my home here for almost 30 years, and I have no worries about property values. A friend of mine lives on Berry Ave. – the transmission line from the turbines to the Cape’s electric facilities will literally go through her front year – and SHE’S looking forward to it too! Another friend is a member of the Nickerson clan, and his family built the FIRST wind farm in Orleans in the 1600’s – and HE wants the wind farm too! We are year round, long term and local people – have we ALL been sold a bill of goods?
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p>Nantucket Sound has been an industrial area since the Vikings. Fishing, whaling, transportation, shipping – all these commercial activities have been robustly exploited for centuries. NOW, they are seen as quaint and scenic, but industrial they were. Here is a letter from the Cape Cod Times about another local installation at a garden center – HERE – I think Mrs. Davidson’s reaction to the turbine in Hyannis is more likely than the Woe-Is-Me hysteria.
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p>BTW – did you know Christy Mihos has installed turbines on the roofs of his stores?
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p>Hats off to Cristy for putting his heart ahead of his wallet.
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p>Back-of-the-envelope math here:
1.5 kW rating
3 turbines
24 hours/day
30 days/month
$0.18 per kWh including delivery
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$583.30/mo, if the turbines operate at 100% efficiency. It’s possible that his “1.5” is for operating at expected efficiency for the install, although that number is never used by engineers or bankers.
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p>Strange, because this Cape Cod Online article suggests that it will generate 30% of $3200 = $960 per month. In any case, for a project that cost $40,000, he’s got a pretty short payback if he’s getting $960 a month.
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p>My guess: he’s actually generating about $200/month from the trio of turbines (roughly 30% efficiency on $583.30). At $200/mo, or even $2500 a year, he’s got 16 years with 0% interest and no upkeep costs to break even.
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p>I don’t know what the numbers really work out to be, so this is all just guessing. But, at a simple payback (0% interest, no maintenance) I’d guess he’s bookended to between 4 and 16 years, assuming no gov’t or private grants.
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p>P.S. I saw the Country Garden Center in Hyannis just installed a 100 kW turbine on a monopole. Cool beans.