Mass. has 400MW of wind potential
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Massachusetts has the potential to generate up to 400 megawatts of wind power by 2020 -- not counting offshore turbines -- if the right government policies are put in place, according to a report from a state environmental group.
The Environment Massachusetts’ Research & Policy Center said enough electricity to power 137,827 homes could be built in Massachusetts over the next five years, if favorable state and federal policies were put into place. That emissions-free power would be enough to offset the carbon emissions generated by 151,107 cars.
The report comes as the Massachusetts legislature is set to debate its clean energy policies in January while meeting the state’s goals for renewable electricity. On the federal level, Congress must decide by Dec. 18 whether to continue to lucrative production tax credit for wind projects.
The Environment Massachusetts study did not include the potential of Massachusetts offshore projects in its report. The 450-megawatt Cape Wind project slated for the offshore area off Cape Cod was supposed to be the first offshore wind project in America, but the project lost momentum and its major source of funding -- utilities National Grid and Eversource Energy -- have pulled out of the project.
Environmental advocates see wind power as an important element of the country’s clean energy portfolio, as wind turbines can generate significantly more electricity than solar panels.
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