• Energy

Wind is Growing — Had Its Third Strongest Year Ever in 2019

• American Wind Energy Association
• offshore wind
• wind energy

The American Wind Energy Association announced on Thursday that for wind power developers experienced their third-best year in 2019, adding 9,143 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity to the grid—enough to power over three million American homes. 

Why This Matters:  No matter how much President Trump tries to knock it, wind power is a big part of our energy future.

• Energy

World’s Largest Wind Turbines Get The Green Light

• American Wind Energy Association
• offshore wind
• wind energy

Construction of the world’s largest offshore wind turbines is set to begin in 2020 in the North Sea. In 2023 when these behemoth turbines (they’re 853ft tall with blades that extend 351ft) come online they will power 4.5 million homes with renewable energy and will generate 5% of the UK’s total power supply. Why This Matters: According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), “our shores possess a power potential of more than 2,000 gigawatts (GW), nearly double the nation’s current electricity use. This potential presents an enormous opportunity to deliver large amounts of clean and reliable electricity to the country’s largest population centers, where it’s needed most.”

• Energy

Defense Department to Study Impacts of Offshore Wind Development on Readiness

• American Wind Energy Association
• Navy
• offshore wind
• wind farms

The Defense Department’s annual spending bill currently includes a requirement for a report on the impact of offshore wind’s on national security, and a description of options to mitigate the impacts.  There is similar language in the Interior Department spending bill that urges “thorough consideration and accommodation of all affected interests including national defense, security, environmental, maritime safety, fisheries, and particularly locally affected community concerns.”