14 DAY TRIAL // The Energy Department in the United States has recently announced that the country is ready to move forward with plans to improve on its ecological footprint and limit climate change and global warming by making the most of the green energy sources at its disposal.
Thus, in a press release issued on its website this past May 7, the Energy Department explains that, as part of the Obama administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the country is to invest in three offshore wind projects.
What this means is that Department has agreed to support three pioneering offshore wind energy projects, and that it will provide each of them with funds amounting to $47 million (€33.7 million) over the following four years.
Information shared with the public says that these projects boil down to installing innovative wind power systems both in federal and in state waters. The systems are expected to be set in place by the year 2017 and will all be connected to the grid.
The end goal is to figure out a way to boost the popularity of offshore wind power in the United States by lowering the costs associated with harvesting this clean energy source and improving the performance of offshore wind systems.
“Offshore wind offers a large, untapped energy resource for the United States that can create thousands of manufacturing, construction and supply chain jobs across the country and drive billions of dollars in local economic investment,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a statement.
“The Energy Department is working with public and private partners to harness this untapped resource in a sustainable and economic manner.”
“The offshore wind projects announced today further this commitment – bringing more clean, renewable energy to our homes and businesses, diversifying our energy portfolio, and reducing costs through innovation,” he added.
The three offshore wind projects that the United States Energy Department announced this past May 7 are to be implemented in the waters off the coast of New Jersey, Oregon and Virginia.
Thus, five 5-megawatt turbines are to be set in place off the coast of Atlantic City, and five 6-megawatt turbines will be installed close to Coos Bay in Oregon. Lastly, another two 6-megawatt turbines will soon be operational not far from Virginia Beach.
The turbines will be located at a distance of 3 miles (about 4.8 kilometers), 18 miles (roughly 29 kilometers), and 26 miles (nearly 42 kilometers) from the shoreline, respectively, and they will all be well equipped to handle the harsh environmental conditions present at sea.