Smart Grid Renewables: East Coast Wind Farms One Step Closer to Reality

Efforts to bring offshore wind farms to the Atlantic coast got a federal boost this week when the Interior Department and the governors of 10 east coast states signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote efficient and responsible wind energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium at Capitol Hill Oceans Week 2010 where he also outlined a new Interior renewable energy office to coordinate and "appropriately expedite" development of wind, solar and other renewable energy sources on the Outer Shelf. States represented in the consortium at this point are: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Salazar said appropriate development of Outer Shelf wind power "will enhance regional and national energy security and create American jobs through the development of energy markets and investments in renewable energy technologies." DOI released a Request for Interest in leasing an offshore wind energy project off the Delaware coast in late April.

Quick Take: At the risk of seeming rude, we hope the phrase "appropriately expedite" used in Interior's press release means a significantly shorter approval time frame than the nine years it took to approve Cape Wind, the first East Coast wind farm project approved by the agency. That should be one of the top items on the consortium's agenda.

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