A Mighty Wind
Vineyard Wind 1 is the largest wind project under construction in the United States. Vineyard Wind 1 by the numbers:
62 wind turbines in the installation, each 850 feet above the Atlantic Ocean generating 13 Megawatts of power
15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts is the offshore substation to which the installation will be connected
$900 million of the overall $4 billion project cost is the substation
400,000 homes and businesses across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will be powered
November 2021 construction began, with October 2023 as the first windmill installed
50 percent owned by funds of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and 50 percent by Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of Avangrid, Inc. Avangrid, Inc. is a subsidiary of Bilbao, Spain based Iberdrola Group
9 governors supported the effort
Image: 15 miles from shore to substation, TV Station NECN, Masschusetts
This project represents 1 of 7 in the top 15 highest per kWh cost states from the 9 New England governor petition to President Biden:
Image: New England states supporting offshore wind with a petition to President Biden in yellow, source EnergyBot
The 5 turbine Block Island offshore wind farm project south of Rhode Island in late 2016 was the first U.S. offshore wind farm serving as a validation point for Vineyard Wind. This non-commercial scale project is located 3.8 miles from shore, with each turbine standing 593 ft tall. The turbines are spaced approximately 0.5 miles apart and are arranged in a single radial array approximately 2 miles long.
Given the highest average energy consumption per household, energy alternatives are needed in the Gulf of Mexico area. As such, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the first ever offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico on July 20, 2023.
Image: Ocean coastline states in yellow, source EnergyBot
On October 27, 2023, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced it has finalized four Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) in the Gulf of Mexico. Together, the WEAs have the potential to produce enough clean, renewable energy to power more than three million homes.
The first WEA is located approximately 47.2 miles off the coast of Texas. The area totals 495,567 acres and has the potential to power 2.1 million homes.
The second area is located approximately 61.5 miles off the coast of Texas. The area totals 119,635 acres and has the potential to power 508,200 homes.
The third WEA is located approximately 52.9 miles off the coast of Texas. The area totals 91,157 acres and has the potential to power 387,450 homes.
The fourth WEA is located approximately 82 miles off the coast of Louisiana and totals 56,978 acres. Option N has the potential to power approximately 242,000 homes.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
The Inflation Reduction Act provides various Investment and Production Tax Credits. A mighty wind seems to be building indeed.