The Facts: Offshore Wind = Clean Power

Recently, a few individuals have published questions about offshore wind power. Some of their main concerns were:

1) Does it really reduce emissions?
2) Will it help us achieve a future zero-carbon grid?
3) Will it be affordable for ratepayers?

Thankfully, ample scientific evidence and real-world experience provide answers to these questions. Indeed, wind power can and will continue to reduce emissions by displacing fossil fuels, wind power can be part of a future zero-carbon grid, and other states have found long-term offshore wind power contracts to be affordable for their rate payers. Offshore wind power in particular is one of the greatest answers for Maryland and the world’s energy future.

The following post provides answers to these questions based on reliable data and studies. More information about offshore wind can be found on the Marylanders for Offshore Wind website.

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A propitious wind

The Baltimore Sun

By Mike Tidwell

So you’re a lawmaker in Annapolis, with November’s election safely behind you. But the voices of working families and struggling consumers are still ringing in your ears: “We need help!” What’s a leader to do?

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What is the 1000 Megawatt Challenge?

What can clean energy activists learn from the world of physics?

For starters, they might consider a well known precept called the law of the conservation of energy. Simply put, it states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it’s forever undergoing conversion from one state to another. For instance, for much of the past 200 years we’ve been converting the chemical energy in fossil fuels into the mechanical and electrical energy we need to power our cars and homes.

Of course, by now we know that CO2 pollution from these energy conversions has started to result in the conversion of the sun’s energy into some not so useful forms like hurricanes and wildfires. In addition to electricity, we’ve generated climate change and to make things right we need to quickly accelerate a different type of conversion: the switch from a dirty energy economy to one powered by clean sources like wind and solar. Continue reading

WIND VISION 2010: An Informative Success

This post was written by Ben Rivers, Freshman environmental science and policy major at the University of Maryland.

I came to Wind Vision 2010 to learn about wind power and Maryland’s wind industry. To my delight, everything from why Maryland should install offshore wind to the political battles being fought was presented, and consequently I feel as if I can speak knowledgeably about how this renewable source will be utilized.

The best speakers not only informed the audience, but also channeled the room’s considerable energy; Senator Paul Pinsky’s speech was motivational and Lester Brown’s closing remarks heartfelt. Together, their presentations called audience members to action and gave working to advance renewable energies a new validity. Mike Tidwell’s and Robert Mitchell’s remarks were possibly the most valuable, as they helped me understand basic information about the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Maryland’s wind resources. Continue reading

New Era of U.S. Climate Leadership Starts Saturday

Years from now when historians look back for a turning point in America’s efforts to address the global climate crisis, they could very well point to 2011 as the year when it happened. This might seem counterintuitive after an election which saw a wave of climate-change deniers sweep into Congress, but that’s only if you’re looking for the leadership to come from Washington. If you consider the plans that are afoot right here in Maryland, it’s a different story altogether.

Without a doubt, a climate-denier controlled Congress likely closes the door on a federal climate bill for the next two years, but it certainly does not close the door on state legislation that could spur national-level action. A lack of federal leadership on climate change is hardly something new Continue reading

The environment needs leadership

This letter to the editor appeared in the Annapolis Capital Gazette.

As an environmental advocate and lifelong Marylander, I was heartened to see strong environmental candidates prevail in many of Tuesday’s races throughout the state. However, conservationists didn’t fare so well across the country. Money from oil and coal companies lines the pockets of many of our newest members of Congress, dozens of who deny the reality of climate change.

The GOP is the only political party in the world that includes climate change denial as a fundamental component of its political platform. Republican legislators don’t just oppose climate action – they oppose the very idea of climate change. These individuals equate science and religion – they believe what they like and reject the rest. This denial persists despite the fact that anthropogenic climate change is one of the most agreed-upon theories in science. Consequently, strong federal climate change and clean energy legislation will likely be stalled for at least the next two years.

We must do at the state level what Congress will not – move away from dangerous and dirty fossil fuels in lieu of clean energy alternatives. Maryland should develop its substantial offshore wind power potential as soon as possible in a show of leadership.

Offshore wind has the potential to bring thousands of well-paying jobs to our state, while providing the equivalent of two-thirds of the state’s current electricity needs. Environmental and labor groups, as well as Governor O’Malley have already pledged their support for Maryland offshore wind. I encourage my fellow Marylanders to reach out to their state representatives to pledge their support as well. The Free State already boasts some of the nation’s most stalwart environmental laws. It’s time that we also take the lead on clean offshore power.

JAMIE NOLAN
Trappe

The writer is Communications Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.