Wind, Baby Wind! Cape Wind Approval Could Drive Offshore Wind Boom
In what may be a landmark moment in the development of offshore wind in the US, the Department of the Interior today approved the Cape Wind project. The project, first initiated nine years ago, had been stalled by community and political opposition due to concerns about the impact the project would have on aesthetic views from Cape Cod.
Approval of the Cape Wind project is a major government relations and public relations boost for the wind industry, as project developers, financiers and clean-energy supporters look to develop the gigawatts of power available along the eastern seaboard. As the most hotly contested offshore wind project in history, Cape Wind could be a bellwether for future projects up and down the east coast.
With the WindPower 2010 conference less than a month away, Cape Wind approval is sure to dominate discussion at the event. While Europe has had significant offshore wind power generation for nearly two decades, the US has lagged behind due to coastal community opposition and the lack of longer-term tax incentives which can help fund projects through the years of development it takes to get them up and running.
No matter how you slice it, the DOI decision is a major PR and GR win for the cleantech industry.
Tags: cape+wind, offshore+wind, wind+energy, wind+gr, wind+power+2010, wind+pr, windpower
Posted by Jason Morris on April 28, 2010 at 1:48 PM
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