Catch The Wind: Why Aren't We Doing This?

If you're like me, you probably wouldn't even know there was a debate about a new off-shore wind project in Delaware if it weren't for the radio sound-byte battles between Delmarva and Bluewater Wind.

The best resource I could find on evaluating the project is from the University of Delaware. I have heard arguments that windfarms can do harm to migratory bird patterns and was surprised to learn

The average US wind turbine kills 2.4 birds per year, fewer than are killed by other structures such as skyscrapters and communication towers. The one thorough study of an offshore wind farm had about half this number. For comparison, studies have shown that the average ‘outdoor’ cat kills 3 to 5 birds/year

Delmarva likes to shout that offshore wind is expensive. However,

The total bill impact for the average Delmarva residential customer is about a 3% rise

and

The wind power price would be almost constant over the 20-25 year life of the facility; coal and natural gas will have fuel price increases as well as expected carbon dioxide fees or taxes.

Delaware likes labeling itself the first state; well, it has an opportunity to become the first state with an off-shore windfarm in the U.S. Just as Delaware has been a hub for science (i.e. DuPont and Gore) and banking, it seems like this could provide us an opportunity to gather a competitive advantage in renewable energy. In fact, we could become a net exporter of energy if the project goes through:

According to UD researchers, Delaware has an immense offshore wind energy resource. An analysis by Dhanju, Whitaker and Kempton estimate a resource of over 7,000 MW average output in the waters off Delaware out to 50 m depth, even after excluding shipping lanes, bird flyways, etc. This is over five times the electricity use of the entire state of Delaware. If Delaware accepts the current bid and builds the proposed 600 MW wind farm, we can just maintain that, or can build more and continue to expand. Expansion beyond the needs of Delaware would also require expanding power transmission capacity, which is planned anyway. If Delaware’s resource were fully exploited, it would have a value of over $2 billion per year at current electricity prices.

You can also read more about the Delaware project on the Bluewater Wind's website. Delmarva's page on renewable energy is here.