The U.S. state of Connecticut has vast wind energy resources offshore as well as onshore although Connecticut was the last state in the United States to block the construction of utility scale wind turbines. Connecticut maintains a Renewable portfolio standard that requires 21% of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020. [1]
Until 2019, Connecticut was the only state in the United States to disallow the construction of utility-scale wind turbines. The state's two and a half year old ban on wind power was enacted in 2011, ostensibly to provide time for the Connecticut Siting Council to enact regulations governing the siting of wind turbines in the state. Those regulations were written in 2012 to address health and safety issues related to wind power, such as maximum noise levels and distances from neighboring properties, but the legislative committee tasked with approving state agency regulations has repeatedly refused to approve the regulations. On November 26, 2013, the Connecticut General Assembly's Regulation Review Committee, for the fourth time since 2012, blocked the Connecticut Siting Council's Regulations that would have ended the state's ban on new wind power projects. The committee, led by co-chairman State Representative Selim Noujaim, forced the Siting Council to withdraw its proposal. [2] This ban stands in stark contrast to Connecticut’s renewable energy laws requiring utilities to purchase 27% clean electricity (23% renewable) by the year 2020. [3]
Concerns about the development of regulations were documented at the CT Siting Council’s public forum on October 13, 2011, and its public hearing on July 24, 2012, [4] [5] [6]
In its second draft of wind regulations, the CT Siting Council increased the setback distance from 1.1 times to 1.5 times the height of an industrial wind turbine from property lines. Drafts 1, 2 and 3 were each rejected without prejudice by the Regulations Review Committee. The CT Siting Council submitted the third rejected draft again, unchanged, for a vote of the Regulations Review Committee on November 26, 2013. During that meeting, the CT Siting Council decided to withdraw the previously rejected third draft instead of putting it to another vote. [7]
The fourth draft was set for a vote at the April 22, 2014, meeting of the Regulations Review Committee. Changes in this draft include a financial assurance for decommissioning and requiring a 3/4 vote (rather than a simple majority) of the CT Siting Council for it to waive minimum setback distances and maximum shadow flicker on occupied structures. The CT Siting Council did not increase the setback distance.[ citation needed ]
Estimates by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory indicate that Connecticut has potential to install 26.5 MW, of onshore wind power using 80 meter high wind turbines. [8] [9]
Connecticut currently has three large scale wind turbines. These are:
Wind Colebrook is a permitted wind farm in Colebrook, Connecticut, developed by BNE Energy, with an expected capacity of 9.6 MW using 3 GE 1.6 MW wind turbines at Wind Colebrook North and 3 identical wind turbines at Wind Colebrook South. [12] Wind Colebrook won a legal battle with their opponent, Fair Wind CT, in Connecticut Superior Court in October 2012, as a judge said that the six turbines would not unduly hurt the environment or harm the neighbors. The two rulings this week by Judge Henry Cohn, for two separate proposals of three turbines each, leaves BNE Energy Inc. closer to building the 9.6 MW project in Colebrook. The project is currently halted due to the ban on wind farms in Connecticut [13]
Wind Colebrook North did not receive the required approval from the U.S. Army Corps. [14] This agency agreed with the CT State Historic Preservation Office that the industrial turbines would have an adverse effect on Rock Hall, an estate designed by Addison Mizner and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [15]
On February 21, 2014, the CT Supreme Court heard oral arguments in FairWindCT’s appeal against the CT Siting Council and BNE Energy for the approvals of Wind Colebrook South and Wind Colebrook North. [16] On September 15, 2014, the CT Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the wind project and the CT Siting Council. [17]
Wind Prospect is a canceled wind generation project, developed by BNE Energy, with an expected capacity of 3.2 MW utilizing 2 GE 1.6 MW wind turbines in Prospect, Connecticut. [18] The site is high on a ridge adjacent to and overlooking the New Naugatuck Reservoir. The predicted wind speeds and physical characteristics of the site are favorable for wind generation due to its elevation, orientation and topographical characteristics. The site is located within one hundred yards from the electrical grid. Wind Prospect would meet the annual electric power needs of approximately 25% of the Town’s residential electric users on average over the course of the year, and nearly 85% of the Town’s residential electric needs when the turbines are operating at full capacity. Wind Prospect would offset approximately 8 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year relative to conventional electricity generation. That’s equivalent to the estimated annual emissions produced by 1,154 cars or consuming more than 14,046 barrels of oil. [19]
Wind Prospect was denied by the CT Siting Council on May 12, 2011, which found ”the visual effects...are in conflict with the policies of the State concerning such effects and are a sufficient reason to deny the petition.” [20]
In 2019, the state awarded a contract to Vineyard Wind to develop offshore power at Park City Wind. [21] The project is a proposed offshore wind farm being developed by Avangrid located about 23 miles (37 km) off the coast of Martha's Vineyard (MA), which will provide electriity to the state of Connecticut. [22] The project takes its name from the nickname of Bridgeport, where a offshore wind port is being developed at Bridgeport Harbor to support the project. [23] [24] [25]
State Pier ion the Port of New London is being developed as an offshore wind port. [26] [27] [28] [29] It will support projects such as the South Fork Wind Farm, Sunrise Wind, and Revolution Wind.
| Wind farm | Offshore BOEM wind energy lease area | Receiving state | Capacity (MW) | Projected completion | Turbines | Developer/Utility | Regulatory agency | Refs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park City Wind | Offshore Massachusetts OCS-A 0501 | 23 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard (MA) | CT | 804 | 2025 | Avangrid Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners | Connecticut DEEP | [30] | ||
| Revolution Wind | Offshore Rhode Island OCS-A 0486 (North Lease Area) [31] | halfway between Montauk Point (NY) & Martha’s Vineyard (MA) | 97,498 acres (39,456 ha) | RI CT | 700 | 2025 | Siemens Gamesa 8MW SG 8.0-167 | Ørsted Eversource National Grid United Illuminating | Connecticut DEEP Rhode Island PUC | [32] [33] |
Colebrook is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,361 at the 2020 census. Colebrook was named after Colebrooke in the English county of Devon; the reason is now unknown.
A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an extensive area. Wind farms can be either onshore or offshore.
The United Kingdom is the best location for wind power in Europe and one of the best in the world. By 2023, the UK had over 11 thousand wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 28 gigawatts (GW): 14 GW onshore and 14 GW offshore, the sixth largest capacity of any country. Wind power generated about 25% of UK electricity, having surpassed coal in 2016 and nuclear in 2018. It is the largest source of renewable electricity in the UK.
Wind power is one of the main renewable energy sources in the world. In Australia alone wind power contributed 10% of Australia's total electricity supply in 2020, and made up to 37.5% of its renewable energy supply. Wind resource testing conditions in Australia are optimum, as abundant wind resources are located close to residential areas in the southern parts of the country and on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range in the east.
Wind power is a branch of the energy industry that has expanded quickly in the United States over the last several years. From January through December 2021, 379.8 terawatt-hours were generated by wind power, or 9.23% of electricity in the United States. The average wind turbine generates enough electricity in 46 minutes to power the average American home for one month. In 2019, wind power surpassed hydroelectric power as the largest renewable energy source in the U.S.
Wind power generation capacity in India has significantly increased in recent years. As of 31 January 2023, the total installed wind power capacity was 41.983 gigawatts (GW), the fourth largest installed wind power capacity in the world. Wind power capacity is mainly spread across the southern, western, and northwestern states.
The Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm is a 348 MW offshore wind farm located on the Burbo Flats in Liverpool Bay on the west coast of the UK in the Irish Sea. It consists of an original 90 MW wind farm commissioned in 2007 and a 258 MW extension completed in 2017.
There are a number of wind power projects in the state of Maine, totaling more than 900 megawatts (MW) in capacity. In 2020 they were responsible for 24% of in-state electricity production. In 2019, Maine had more wind capacity than the other five New England states combined, at 923 MW.
New York has 2,192 MW of installed wind power capacity as of 2022. Most of New York's wind power is located in upstate New York as onshore wind farms. New York has set a goal of developing 9,000 MW of offshore installed wind power capacity by 2035 that will power an estimated 6 million homes. As of October 2022, New York has five offshore wind farms in development with approximately 4,300 MW installed capacity.
Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the generation of electricity through wind farms in bodies of water, usually at sea. There are higher wind speeds offshore than on land, so offshore farms generate more electricity per amount of capacity installed. Offshore wind farms are also less controversial than those on land, as they have less impact on people and the landscape.
The U.S. state of Massachusetts has vast wind energy resources offshore, as well as significant resources onshore. The 2016 update to the states's Clean Energy and Climate Plan had a goal of reducing 1990 baseline greenhouse gas emissions levels by 25% by 2020. Current goals include installing 3,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind power in the state by 2035. However, as of Q4 2021 the state had only 120 MW of wind powered electricity generating capacity, responsible for generating 0.9% of in-state electricity production. The state has awarded contracts to two offshore projects, the 800 MW Vineyard Wind project and 804 MW Mayflower Wind project. Construction began on the Vineyard Wind 1 project on November 18, 2021, after a long fight for approval. Commonwealth Wind was selected for development in 2021. There are eight projects planned for off the southern coast of Massachusetts, though some will deliver power to Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.
Triton Knoll Wind Farm is an 857 MW round 2 offshore wind farm nearing completion 33 kilometres (21 mi) off the coast of Lincolnshire, in the North Sea, England.
Wind power in New Jersey is in the early stages of development. As of 2022, New Jersey has just six wind turbines, but the state has plans to develop several major offshore wind projects on the continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean off the southern Jersey Shore. Legislation has been enacted to support the industry through economic incentives and to permit wind turbines on existing piers.
Wind power in Hawaii has the potential to provide all of the electricity generation in the electricity sector in Hawaii. The 132 commercial wind turbines in the state have a total capacity of 236 MW. In 2015, wind turbines produced 6.4% of Hawaii's electricity. In 2012, Hawaii generated 367 million kWh from wind power.
Wind power in Virginia is in the early stages of development. In March 2015, Virginia became the first state in the United States to receive a wind energy research lease to build and operate offshore wind turbines in federal waters. As of 2019, Virginia had no utility scale wind farms.
Wind power in Maryland, which has land-based and offshore resources, is in the early stages of development. As of 2016, Maryland has 191 megawatts (MW) of wind powered electricity generating capacity, responsible for 1.4% of in-state generated electricity. Two offshore wind farm projects that will supply wind-generated power to the state are underway.
Wind power is a major industry in Taiwan. Taiwan has abundant wind resources however a lack of space on land means that most major developments are offshore. As of February 2020, there were 361 installed onshore turbines and 22 offshore turbines in operation with the total installed capacity of 845.2 MW.
Ocean Wind is a proposed utility-scale offshore wind farm to be located on the Outer Continental Shelf approximately 15 miles (24 km) off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey. It is being developed by Ørsted US Offshore Wind in conjunction with Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G). Construction is planned to begin in the early 2020s; expected commissioning is in 2024. The closed Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station and B.L. England Generating Station would provide transmission points for energy generated by the wind farm. At 1,100 MW, it will be the largest producer of wind power in New Jersey and largest offshore wind farm in the United States.
Vineyard Wind 1 is an offshore wind farm under construction in U.S. federal waters in the Atlantic Ocean in Bureau of Ocean Energy Management-designated Lease Area OCS-A 0520, about 13 nautical miles -15 miles (24 km) south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts. The array will include 62 wind turbines with a nameplate capacity of 804 MW, enough power for about 400,000 homes. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved the project in 2019. Construction began on November 18, 2021.
Offshore wind power is in the early stages of development in the United States. In 2016, the United States Department of Energy estimated that the country has a gross resource potential of 10,800GW of offshore wind capacity, with a "technical" resource potential of 2,058GW. Offshore wind projects are under development in wind-rich areas of the East Coast, Great Lakes, and Pacific coast. The first commercial offshore wind farm, Block Island Wind Farm, began operation in 2016. As of 2017, about 30 projects totaling 24 gigawatts (GW) of potential installed capacity were being planned.
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