Could double the number of wind farms off our coast
By Holly Fertsch
On Aug. 4, four new wind projects on the New Jersey coast were proposed by various wind power developers. These projects still need to be approved by state regulators.
If approved, these projects would double the amount of wind farms planned along the New Jersey shore.
In acknowledgment of local opposition to wind farms, two of the proposed projects are planned further out to sea. In comparison to the three wind farms already approved by the state, these two projects are more than twice as far offshore. The companies behind these proposals claim the wind turbines will not be able to be seen from beaches.
Wind farms use wind to generate electricity. Offshore wind projects aim to utilize powerful winds off the ocean in order to produce energy. New Jersey has set a goal of using clean sources, such as offshore wind, for 100 percent of its energy production by 2050.
There are currently three wind farms approved by New Jersey regulators: Orsted’s Ocean Wind I, which was the first offshore wind project to be approved by the state; Orsted’s Ocean Wind II project; and EDF/Shell’s Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind.
The first of the four newly proposed projects is called Community Offshore Wind. It is a joint venture of a Germany-based company, RWE; and a New York-based company, National Grid. The companies applied to build the Community Offshore Wind project off of Long Beach Island. Their goal is to produce enough electricity to power 500,000 homes.
Doug Perkins, president and project director of Community Offshore Wind, commented that his project would be built 37 miles (59 kilometers) offshore and would not be visible to beach-goers, unlike the Orsted wind projects.
Perkins also said the project has “the potential to transform New Jersey into a nation-leading clean energy development, training and manufacturing hub.”
RWE and National Grid have not determined yet how many turbines they intend to build.
The second proposed project would be even further out to shore: 40 miles (64 kilometers) off the coast of Long Beach Island. Invenergy, which is based in Chicago, and energyRE, based in New York, have submitted a bid for a project called Leading Light Wind. They plan to power 1 million homes by building up to 100 turbines.
Ryan Brown, energyRE’s chief operating officer, commented “Leading Light Wind is ready to build out a world-leading domestic offshore wind industry with American-led ingenuity and expertise.” The company stressed that Leading Light Wind is American-owned.
Shell New Energies US and EDF Renewables North America already have approval to build the Atlantic Shores wind farm. However, the companies have applied to build a second wind farm in the state. Their new project is currently unnamed. The proposed project would be built 10 to 20 miles (16 to 32 kilometers) offshore. They did not disclose where the second wind farm would be built, but the companies were already granted lease areas between Atlantic City and Barnegat Light on the northern tip of Long Beach Island. The companies also have not said how many homes they would power through their new proposed project or how many turbines they plan to build.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities said a fourth application had also been received. However, no information has currently been released about it.
Community Offshore and Leading Light said that they intend to take advantage of existing federal tax credits. However, they are not seeking the same type of tax break that was granted to Orsted recently. Orsted, a Danish company, is now facing legal opposition to its offshore wind projects.
