Massachusetts OKs 10% Wind Power Requirement

In the same week that the U.S. Interior Department released the long-awaited environmental impact statement of Cape Wind, the planned offshore wind farm near Cape Cod, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced a plan to get ten percent of the state’s energy from wind energy by 2020.

According to The Boston Globe ’s Green Blog, officials say the Massachusetts wind power target is intended to guide the incentives and policies made by state agencies. “It helps to motivate the bureaucracy,” said Ian Bowles, the secretary for energy and environmental affairs.

Bowles added that about one-tenth to one-quarter of the governor’s wind power target could be reached with municipal-scale projects, but that “Offshore wind is going to need to make up a substantial part of it.”

After Friday’s big news about Cape Wind, it seems the Governor’s plan should work out nicely. Cape Wind is expected to provide enough electricity for three quarters of the residents of the Cape and Islands, or, 800,000 homes.

Image: CC licensed by flickr user whyowhyowhyo

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