Windfarm Tours to Denmark
Although an offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound is still in the permitting process, a handful of islanders want to see one for themselves. And they’re willing to cross the Atlantic Ocean to do it.
Six Nantucketers will leave for Denmark next Tuesday to take part in a trip sponsored by Clean Power Now, a group which supports Cape Wind’s proposal to construct 130 wind turbines on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound. They will join 29 other residents from around the Cape and Islands on a trip that will take them to two offshore wind farm locations, as well as two land-based wind parks in Denmark.
“I think we can be the eyes and ears for a lot of Nantucketers who are on the fence about the wind farm,” said Carl Borchert. “I want to talk to everyone I can over there about the aesthetics, tourism, economics, jobs and how it’s affected their communities. I’m going to talk to as many people as I can.”
The trip will feature stops at the 70-turbine Nysted Harbor offshore wind farm in Rødsand, the 80-turbine Horns Rev offshore wind park at Blåvand, and two onshore wind facilities in Tjæborg and Velling.
Clean Power Now Executive Director Matt Palmer said the 35 Cape and Islands residents taking part in the trip will be able to judge the wind farms first-hand so they can form their own opinions about offshore wind energy.
July 4, 2015 @ 10:35 am
Sadly, since this blog was published Cape Wind has become a economic impossibility. They lost the contract to buy their wind power from their two major customers when the costs per kilowatt zoomed too far ahead of the same power generated by coal, gas or even oil. So until the economics change, it is not likely that any turbines will be built any time soon.