Photo Friday: A Big Week for Offshore Wind in New Jersey
On Tuesday, Massachusettes Governor Deval Patrick announced than a more than 1,160 square mile area off the coast of Rhode Island will be opened up for commercial wind leases.
By Melissa C. Lott
This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
On Tuesday, Massachusettes Governor Deval Patrick announced than a more than 1,160 square mile area off the coast of Rhode Island will be opened up for commercial wind leases. These leases could result in a series of wind farms located about 12 miles offshore and just south of Martha’s Vineyard. According to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, fourteen offshore wind energy companies have already expressed interest in these leases.
The photograph above captures part of the 180 MW Robin Rigg offshore windfarm in Europe. It was Scotland’s first offshore windfarm and has been generating electricity since 2009. It currently includes 60 Vestas V90, 3 MW wind turbines. In its first year of operation it recorded 98% availability, showing how offshore wind can overcome the intermittency challenges frequently seen with onshore wind projects.
Photo Credit: Photo of the Robin Rigg windfarm (C) Copyright Walter Baxter and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. Found using Creative Commons.
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber
