Thursday 30 July 2015

Work starts on first US offshore wind farm

Construction has started on the first offshore wind farm in the US.

The Block Island project is expected to have a capacity of 30MW and generate more than 100 million kilowatt per hour of energy – equivalent to powering 17,000 homes.

The electricity generated will be purchased by National Grid.

US company Deepwater Wind is developing the wind farm.

It is scheduled to start operating in 2016 and the company estimates the wind farm will reduce electricity costs by 40%.

Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Department of the Interior  said: "Block Island Wind Farm will not only tap into the enormous power of the Atlantic’s coastal winds to provide reliable, affordable and clean energy to Rhode Islanders but will also serve as a beacon for America’s sustainable energy future."