Obama Climate Plan Would Bring Massive Wind Energy Production To U.S.
On September 9, the Obama administration announced its push to accelerate wind energy production as part of its larger Climate Action Plan. The administration’s plan calls for 86 gigawatts of offshore wind energy (combined along Pacific and Atlantic coasts) by 2050.
“In principle we could generate twice as much electricity as the country uses from offshore wind,” Ernest Moniz, US Energy Secretary, said, reports WBUR.
According to Inhabitat, the country’s first offshore wind farm, the Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island, was completed in August, and will soon produce 30 megawatts of energy – enough to power 17,000 homes.
In Europe, 12 gigawatts (a gigawatt is 1,000 megawatts) of offshore wind power are already being produced.
The Obama administration estimates that a potential 2,058 gigawatts of energy can be harvested by wind turbines off the US’s coasts.
“Today’s collaborative strategic plan is part of a long-term commitment to support innovation that enables widespread offshore wind deployment and shows how offshore wind will benefit our country with new jobs, less pollution, and a more diversified electricity mix,” Moniz said. He noted that the offshore wind plan will create some 160,000 new jobs.
According to WBUR, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, signed a law in August pledging to ramp up the state’s offshore wind production to 1.6 gigawatts by 2026.
The bill is a “major step towards providing residents and businesses with a cost-effective and reliable clean energy future,” Baker stated in a press release coordinated with the bill’s signing.
He added, “[i]n the coming weeks, our administration will begin to take strong and coordinated action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard our residents from the impacts of climate change, and build a more resilient commonwealth.”