Google and two other companies promised to invest tens of millions of dollars in a new offshore wind energy project that will provide power to 1.9 million homes. This project would start with the building of a wind atlantic transmission line which would transmit the power created offshore to the mainland. This project is estimated to take about 10 years. It would stretch from the coast of New Jersey to Virginia. A Japanese trading company will provide the start up financing and helping out with logistical issues. This transmission line could cost up to 5 billion dollars said a senior executive, which means that the companies investment would only be financing a small portion of the total costs.
Also as of now there are no wind turbines operating in the Atlantic Ocean and this is an important stepping stone to pave that way for more. This project is also expected to spur the creation of more wind farms throughout the northeast. As this transmission line will allow cost of wind farms to cut down 20% of their expenses as they will not have to build their own transmission lines. Overall this project is going to benefit everyone involved as it will spur more wind farms and support renewable energy. I am fully behind this project and every impressed by google to initiate this.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703440004575547381873787098.html?mod=WSJ_Energy_leftHeadlines
Ryan Parker
I think this project is such a good idea! Wind energy seems to be a viable energy resource and it's one that most people in society seem impressed with and have less reservations about it. I'm so surprised that Google is the one initiating this movement. It will obviously look good to their consumers and show that they are an innovative and earth-conscious company, but I wonder why they decided to involve themselves in such a large operation. It's going to take a while, and what if it doesn't quite work? It's a huge move, and one that's certainly in the right direction as far as advancing towards newer and greener energy.
ReplyDelete- Caitlin McGonnigal