The Biden administration this week approved the construction of the first large offshore wind farm in the United States.
With 12 nautical miles (22.2 kilometers) to be built along the Nantucket and Martha vineyards, the massive operation, called Vineyard Wind, has forecast 800 megawatts of electricity to generate 400000 megawatts of electricity. The Department of the Interior announced on May 11 that this would not only be a huge milestone in the administration’s ambitious offshore wind power generation target of 30 gigawatts by 2030, but it would also create a large number of jobs in the region.
Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a statement, “Today’s announcement of the Offshore Air Project proves that we can fight the climate crisis while creating high-paying jobs and strengthening our competition at home and abroad.” “This project is an example of the investment we need to make to achieve the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious climate goals and I am proud to be part of the team leading the charge in coastal winds.” The giant wind farm will have six turbines and will be joined by the United Kingdom, Germany and China, among others, in the United Kingdom and many other countries, including the operational wind farm.
Global renewable energy is now growing at the fastest rate since 1999, with world powers increasing their power by 45 percent over the past year. The United States is now adopting an aggressive strategy to implement renewable energy in its grid, which accounted for about 20 percent of net U.S. electricity generation in 2018 due to hydropower and wind power. As a source of rapidly growing energy in the United States, this number is expected to increase dramatically over the next decade. As such, the Biden administration is now committed to adding 30 gigawatts of wind power to the grid by 2030, claiming to reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels and create thousands of new jobs in the process.
With the help of this huge offshore farm for generating only 800 MW, you can understand how high this target is, but the high funding in the sector is hopeful to achieve it regardless. “A clear energy future within the United States is our perception. Approval of this project is an important step in advancing the administration’s goals of tackling climate change and creating better-paying union jobs while strengthening our country,” said Secretary of the Interior Dev Holland.
