AUG 12

The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission has approved a power purchase plan for a wind farm off the coast of Block Island, clearing the way for more offshore wind in the U.S.

The commission has approved an agreement for National Grid, the state's largest utility, to purchase energy from the wind farm for 24.4 cents/kWh over 20 years.  The utility has also agreed to purchase half of the power produced by the much larger Cape Wind project, at a lower rate of 18.7 cents/kWh.

The Block Island wind farm will be an eight-turbine pilot project that will include a transmission cable to connect it to the island and the mainland.  The wind farm will provide most of the power for the island with excess power being fed to the mainland grid.  The island has been relying on diesel generators for electricity, which are not only dirty, but expensive.  This new wind farm will greatly reduce the cost of electricity for island residents.

Construction will begin late this year and completed in 2012.

After the Block Island project is installed, the state has plans for a larger, 100-turbine project in the Rhode Island Sound.

via Huffington Post

Comments (6)

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The most confusing ever
written by Mike Jones, August 13, 2010

The wind farm is not being blocked... its some place called "Block Island". The utility isn't country-wide but its called "National Grid". My brain hurts.

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Windfarm, enjoy.
written by Scott Brooks, August 16, 2010

To the best of my knowledge, there is not one person anywhere who can honestly say they are in favor of windmills after they have been erected. The people who approve , a) do not live anywhere near them, b) have a financial interest only, c)will talk capacity when in reality they never get close to capacity d) fail to mention, no wind, no power. Find one person, anywhere, who lives near these technical monsters who approves, go on, I dare you. You can make anything green by subsidizing it,but you do pay for it in more ways than one.

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What are you talking about Scott?
written by JCT, August 17, 2010

there is not one person anywhere who can honestly say they are in favor of windmills after they have been erected.

Are you possibly just a little bit over-generalizing there? I know people who have wind generators on their property (small scale) and couldn't be happier. Then, you go on to say, "The people who approve" and say justifications why they approve.

So, in one post, you say no one approves and finish by saying some do. You can't have it both ways.

Obviously, you don't approve, which is fine. But, what's your alternative? Know anyone who likes having a coal power plant in their backyard? How bout a nuclear power plant? Given the options, wind seems pretty ok to me - but I have solar panels (something you'd likely think no one can possibly like either).

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...
written by Jim, August 17, 2010

Scott I don't mind wind farms I live near a few I also holiday right next to a big commercial one and it doesn't bother me or the people who live there all year round. In fact the owner of the cottage wishes his land was suitable.

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written by Emily, August 20, 2010

This is a very incorrect article. I have been working on Block Island all summer for a nonprofit environmental organization and following the project intensely, including have attended the PUC hearing. The PUC did approve the project, but this does not guarantee it is happening. There are still many steps for the project to go through and it is more than likely going to be appealed and sent to the RI Supreme Court.
Also, currently, there are no off-shore wind farms in the US, so this would not be another, it would be the first, which is one of the reasons why it has been such a controversial issue.
It would be 6-8 turbines, depending on how things go with the legal procedures and which turbines Deep Water Wind decides to purchase.
I hope this project does actually happen, but the proper facts should be reported because we need to prove that off-shore wind is a realistic market in the United States.

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All in for Rhode Island
written by Rex Chamberlin, September 14, 2010

I am unemployed. I am first in line to fill out an application in order to join the team of Deepwater. When this project brings our state back into the real world, EVERYONE will jump on the band wagon. Telephone poles are really ugly.

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