Sunrise Wind lands federal approval

By
Daniel Greenman
-
55
Sunrise Wind, outlined in red, recently received federal approval. — Courtesy of BOEM

The United States Department of the Interior has approved the Sunrise Wind offshore wind project, which boasts a planned capacity of over 900 megawatts of renewable energy. Up to 84 turbines have been authorized for the project.

Sunrise Wind, located approximately 16 miles south of the Vineyard, is planned to provide power to over 320,000 homes in New York state.

The wind project is a 50/50 partnership between Ørsted and Eversource.

The development is slated to be substantially larger than others so-far approved for waters off the Vineyard’s coast. Vineyard Wind has a 805-megawatt capacity, and South Fork Wind has a capacity of 132 megawatts.

Commonwealth Wind, not yet approved, is expected to produce 1,200-megawatts. Commonwealth boasts that this would be the largest offshore wind project in New England waters.

Sunrise is the seventh offshore wind project approved in the United States, according to a Department of the Interior (DOI) announcement published yesterday. 

“These seven projects have the potential to provide more than 8 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy to power roughly 3 million homes, and support the Administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030,” DOI states.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland commented on the approval in the DOI’s release. “In collaboration with Tribes, labor groups, industry, and partners nationwide, we are steadfast in our commitment to fostering clean energy growth that enriches communities, bolsters national energy security, and tackles the climate crisis head-on,” Haaland said.

The Record of Decision for Sunrise Wind is available on the federal Bureau of Ocean Management website. As part of this record, Sunrise Wind LLC must establish fishery mitigation funds to compensate commercial and for-hire recreational fishers for any losses arising directly from the project.

According to the federal government announcement, Sunrise will also provide over 800 direct jobs per year, and around 300 jobs per year during its construction.

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55 COMMENTS

  1. Another for profit company, raking in millions of taxpayer dollars for the delusional green public. Who think they may be helping the environment. But what these wacky environmental groups are really doing is dipping into my pocket. Many years down the road history will wonder what the hell we were thinking in wasting our valuable treasure and ruining the oceans.

    • Bob– why do you think they are “dipping into” your pocket ?
      Show me something that can verify that.
      And then we can compare who is dipping into whoms pocket.
      So I will ask you to find out if the federal government spends more of your
      taxpayer dollars on subsidies to peanut farmers who make more than
      250 k a year, or the companies who are building these structures.
      I just took a quick look, and did not add up all the numbers.
      There are subsidies for all sorts of things ,like crop insurance where
      the feds will bail them out if the weather is not good year over year and
      a guaranteed minimum price when they put them on the market.
      And of course, there a tariffs .. Which I think get passed on to the consumers.
      Is that how it works ? I heard someone the other day talking about 100% tariffs on
      “imported” cars even though most “foreign” cars are at at least 50% us
      made and assembled. And then of course– “ruining the oceans” ?
      Ok–

      tham out

    • Just another for profit company, raking in millions of taxpayer dollars, just like the oil companies.
      Exactly how many millions of tax dollars has wind consumed?
      How many millions of dollars in taxes will wind farm staff pay.
      How many millions of of dollars in taxes will service boat builders and and other vendors pay in taxes.

      The Gulf of Mexico was a valuable treasure that was ruined by oil.
      What the hell were they thinking….?

      Would you mind seeing the wind turbines replaced with oil production platforms.
      Do you prefer to keep all the means of production of the energy you consume to be kept behind the curtain .

    • Please turn off that electronic device you are using if you object to renewable energy sources.

      You are receiving that energy already.

    • For starters, all power generation in the US is private sector, i.e. for profit.
      The ruination of the oceans is already well underway as a result of acid rain from burning coal resulting in heavy metals contamination of the marine food supply and significant rise in temperature, which is wreaking havoc on the marine ecosystem as a whole.

      • Since people on MV don’t have to look at strip mines or see communities impacted by toxic runoff in their streams and rivers or face relatives withering from black lung, it isn’t really a problem that impacts them.
        In short, ignorance is bliss!

    • Bob, you mentioned the “delusional green public.” Since I support windmills you must think I’m delusional. Using any facts except that windmills can be seen, what makes me delusional?

  4. A lot of people have lots of opinions about these things.
    A while ago someone was putting forth that these would
    be stopping those nice breezes we get in the summer, which
    I thought was ridiculous, and I still do.
    But, if you look at the arrays and how they are placed
    in relation to the Vineyard, and how many there will be
    it’s just possible that they could knock down the winds from some tropical
    storms that would be coming from that direction.
    I found this really good interactive map which I think is
    updated on a regular basis, and shows everything that is
    proposed, their current status, what is actually operational
    where all the landfalls’ are, the companies who own them, the
    power output and various other things.
    If you are interested in anything other than just blurting
    out “they kill whales” or they are “destroying the oceans” ,
    I suggest taking a look at this one.
    https://www.northeastoceandata.org/data-explorer/?{%22point%22:{%22x%22:-7900981.6858537495,%22y%22:4970340.006756343,%22spatialReference%22:{%22wkid%22:102100,%22latestWkid%22:3857}},%22zoom%22:9,%22basemap%22:%22oceans%22,%22layers%22:[{%22url%22:%22https://services.northeastoceandata.org/arcgis1/rest/services/EnergyAndInfrastructure/MapServer/64#Lease%20Areas%22,%22name%22:%22OCS-A%200517%20-%20South%20Fork%20Wind,%20LLC%22,%22opacity%22:0.8},{%22url%22:%22https://services.northeastoceandata.org/arcgis1/rest/services/EnergyAndInfrastructure/MapServer/109#Projects%20in%20Review%22,%22name%22:%22Proposed%20Export%20Cable%20Corridors%22,%22opacity%22:0.8},{%22url%22:%22https://services.northeastoceandata.org/arcgis1/rest/services/EnergyAndInfrastructure/MapServer/108#Projects%20in%20Review%22,%22name%22:%22Proposed%20or%20Installed%20Export%20Cables%22,%22opacity%22:0.8},{%22url%22:%22https://services.northeastoceandata.org/arcgis1/rest/services/EnergyAndInfrastructure/MapServer/107#Projects%20in%20Review%22,%22name%22:%22Proposed%20or%20Installed%20Inter-Array%20Cables%22,%22opacity%22:0.8},{%22url%22:%22https://services.northeastoceandata.org/arcgis1/rest/services/EnergyAndInfrastructure/MapServer/106#Projects%20in%20Review%22,%22name%22:%22Proposed%20or%20Installed%20Turbine%20Locations%22,%22opacity%22:0.8},{%22url%22:%22https://services.northeastoceandata.org/arcgis1/rest/services/EnergyAndInfrastructure/MapServer/105#Projects%20in%20Review%22,%22name%22:%22Proposed%20or%20Installed%20Substations%22,%22opacity%22:0.8}]}

  5. I predict that the wind turbine industry will go bankrupt.
    Please compare wind vs. solar:
    It seems that turbines each need roughly one square mile of space. That’s 5000 x 5000 feet = 25,000,000 sq.ft. = 574 acres, for just one wind turbine, producing 12 megawatts of power, and these turbines require immense amounts of extremely costly maintenance, and megabucks for insurance.

    Now compare that with Solar: 25,000,000 sq.ft. of PhotoVoltaic panels x 20 watts per sq.ft. would produce 500 megawatts per square mile, requiring hardly any maintenance, and only minor insurance. In order to produce 12 megawatts with solar energy instead of wind, requires less than 600,000 sq.ft. of PV panels, which amounts to less than 14 acres. So, 1 square mile = 25,000,000 sq.ft. = 574 acres for 12 megawatts of wind energy,
    vs 1/40th square mile = 600,000 sq.ft. = 14 acres of PV, for 12 megawatts of solar energy.

    It’s becoming obvious that wind will be far more expensive and far less reliable than solar. For me to become 100% energy self-sufficient, I will need less than 1000 sq.ft. of PV panels, which will produce 16,000 watts of solar power which will be stored in a 60 kW battery bank, which will power my home and 2 EV cars even through extended periods of no sunshine. No grid connection, gasoline or heating fuel! 100% energy independence! And I will save money immediately. That’s what I call real Freedom and Security!

    • Anna– there are different ways to look at things.
      I think you are misrepresenting the area that these
      windmills need one square mile of space.
      While it’s true that they are spaced one mile apart
      for a number of reasons, that does not mean that
      they are taking up the entire space. In fact simple
      math tells us that each mill only “occupies” about 500
      square ft. the area in between is open to any marine traffic,
      fishing, swimming, touristing or whatever one might want to
      do. It is also habitat for all manner of marine life.
      To say one mill is taking up one square mile of space
      is ludicrous. It would be like me saying that a solar array
      on your roof needs the entirety of the field or lawn on the
      south side of the array, Obviously solar panels don’t work
      very well if they are shaded, requiring a significant area of
      trees cleared. In fact, the entire V.W 1 project actually only
      impacts about one acre of seafloor and one acre of the surface
      of the ocean. Yes– I know i am not including the lines carrying
      the power to shore. But that disruption is only temporary.

      Don’t get me wrong, I am all for solar power. But there are
      downsides to everything, including your 60 kw battery pack.
      The deny-everything-ers would point out all the poor children
      in Congo who are forced to mine the materials, as well as
      their perceived risk of spontaneous combustion of any lithium
      ion batteries.
      As always, Anna i have the highest respect for you efforts.

      • For that crass comment, I wish you would go away to the Congo and mine lithium for one day.
        You wouldn’t make it back.

        • Luis — I am in no way denying the harsh reality
          of the children on Congo. It is well documented
          and one of the major drawbacks of most forms
          of “green” energy generation.
          I have, on many, occasions addressed the issue.
          Nothing crass about it– Just pointing out a
          few of the legitimate talking points from
          the denyeverythingers ( there aren’t very many).

        • I wish that you would point out which products contain materials mined in which Congo. Is one worse than the other?

          I wish Luis would go away to the Congo and drill/produce oil for one day.
          You wouldn’t make it back. Not even in the Gulf of Mexico.

        • John — I have on many occasions mentioned this
          as an issue. I have never denied it and never will.
          I likely know more about it than you do.
          So for those who don’t know
          https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/drc-mining-industry-child-labor-and-formalization-small-scale-mining
          And while I am at it, how about lithium mining
          in the high deserts of South America :
          https://www.fastcompany.com/91058321/we-will-lose-everything-why-south-americas-lithium-triangle-could-devastate-local-communities
          It’s not all flowers and honey. It’s nasty business
          and a major drawback of the “green” energy
          industry.
          I personally think that the batteries should be reserved for
          mobile applications– like cell phones, power tools and
          transportation. — and don’t forget to recycle them.

          But the best way to keep the slave labor of children
          down is to use less electricity.

        • John, None of us is happy when children are forced to work. The stores of lithium in the earth are abundant. We do not have to source the lithium from those particular mines. There are many lithium mines in the US.
          But…if those children in Congo were to try to immigrate to the US so they can have a decent meal, what should we do with them? Do you own a laptop computer? Is it okay to own that? Do you know where all the raw materials come from for every product you consume? Probably none of us do.
          We should probably do more with diplomatic relations to create peace and prosperity in the world so that children aren’t living in desperate conditions. Until we fix the core problem, children will continue to work so they don’t starve to death. Taking away a job from them won’t feed them. How can we fix the corruption in the world?
          “Children work when families get desperate, leading to a reliance on income from child labour to cover basic needs like food, clothing, or school fees,” the report reads. “Women understand children are not allowed to work in mine sites but see no other alternatives for their survival. Children circumvent bans on child labour by moving between mine sites, adjusting the hours they work, and paying informal ‘access fees’.”
          https://www.mining.com/families-in-the-drc-increasingly-rely-on-children-working-in-cobalt-mines-report/#:~:text=An%20Amnesty%20International%20report%20mentions,of%20electric%20cars%20expanded%20worldwide.

        • John, do you deny that we have lithium mines in the United States? We’re ramping up to mine so much lithium in the US that the mines in other countries will be insignificant.

    • I predict that some wind turbine and some solar companies will go bankrupt.
      Look at the number of failed car and plane companies.

      • Albert, yes, you’re right about that. How about Pan Am? Northwest? TWA?
        Good point. So, let’s exit the grid and put up our own windmills and solar panels so we don’t have to worry about other companies going bankrupt.

        • Exit the grid?
          Every one puts up solar and wind?
          And when the sun is down and wind does not blow?
          Batteries?
          What are the total maintenance costs?
          The cost of production of energy is a function of scale.
          The cost per KW of residential sized wind and solar is over twice that “alternate energy farms”. The economy of scale.

          The companies may go bankrupt and have to sell off at fifty cents on the invested dollar. At half price the new owners may be able to make a profit.
          The “Grid” allows us to send power where it is needed. Why tear it down?

          • Albert, When I said to exit the grid, I didn’t say to tear it down. Would like to see us transition to a gridless electrical system some day. Was it Tesla who wanted a gridless system in the beginning? Maybe he wasn’t wrong. Septic systems are another service that society has gone back and forth on which way is the best way. Depending on where you live, experts are now saying that keeping septic on the property is the right way. These issues are rarely black and white. Anna had a great suggestion that we have more local solar farms. Good idea.
            Why not be responsible for our own energy and not have society build massive transmission power lines? The distribution network isn’t free.
            If people are independent-minded, they would probably love an off-grid system.
            Yes, a battery bank is part of a home electrical system whether it is only solar or wind, or a mixture of both wind and solar.
            People need to think differently.
            We need the solar capacity of every roof in the world.
            We need a lot more out-of-the-box thinking if we want to solve the problems with the climate. We may never lose the grid. But everyone should try! If every home was energy independent and connected to the grid then we would have a super-resilient system. The grid has flaws too. Problems with the grid can spread like a virus–everyone is affected. (The ice-storm disaster in Texas a few years ago is an infamous example.) But if you have your own system, and there’s a problem, it’s just one house. If enemy governments were to attack our grid, it would be catastrophic. An enemy can’t take out every single house electrical system. You may be right about the economies of scale. However, people seem to like having their own car instead of riding public transportation everywhere and owning no car. People who buy their own systems love them (at least the people I know).
            Let’s build our own home solar/wind electrical systems and exit the grid!

          • Albert, Luis Alasenda said that solar isn’t feasible on his property because he has too many trees. A few small windmills might be feasible for him and that scenario is a good candidate for being connected to the grid. If he had some windmills, they might generate more electricity than he needs at some parts of the day and/or year and could then contribute to the grid.

    • Anna, you’re my hero! ❤️ Thank you!
      Super excited for you to enjoy your own solar setup! May I encourage you to add a wind turbine to your project? You can still collect a 30% tax credit, but even more important, the wind blows (sometimes really hard) when it’s cloudy outside and your solar panels aren’t receiving much sun. Also, if the wind is blowing at night you can collect wind-generated energy then. During the winter months the sun is at a lower angle and you won’t receive as much solar energy for that reason. And of course, the winter has shorter days so you receive less solar energy for that reason as well. You’re right that solar is generally more favorable, and at the same time a windmill can make an off-grid project more resilient and more flexible. You’re going to have spare electricity from time to time, which is lovely to share with a neighbor or sell back to the grid.

    • I predict that neither will go bankrupt. They are complimentary methods of producing power.
      On land they can produce power in the same space.

  6. I find the comments from those opposed to these interesting.
    They alternate between predicting bankruptcy
    and complaining that they are raking in millions of
    ratepayer and taxpayer dollars.

    • Well, as Keller rightly pointed out our new digital economy that liberals are pushing to capture every transaction so they can track and tax everything, uses a ridiculous amount of energy to mine crypto. And the same greenies who push utopian ideas of universal income with the introduction of AI haven’t yet realized how much power AI will consume. Hint, the AI people have to build their own power plants because the grid can’t support their consumption. And the fossil fuel of choice is natural gas. As they build these power plants they actually say with a straight face that in 10 years they hope to be carbon neutral. And the sheep buy it.

      • I don’t think I was was endorsing cryptocurrencies.
        And I have to say, I am a little surprised by you knee
        jerk “blame the liberals for everything” comment.
        I see it on the fox news comments–
        Somebody robs a bank– “it was a liberal”
        somebody pushes someone onto the subway tracks
        “it was a liberal”
        A ship runs into a bridge “it was a liberal”or it was
        because of dei liberal policies.
        The liberals want to capture every transaction ?
        Come on Carl– the whole idea behind crypto’s is that
        transactions are untraceable.
        And liberals are responsible for AI ? — only if it turns
        out poorly, right ?
        But I agree — companies that plant a tree and think they are
        carbon neutral need rubber boots that go to the hip.

      • What makes you think liberals are behind the effort to track and tax? I’m pretty sure it began in the Reagan/Bush era.

    • Mary– The problem is that those of us who care
      about using less energy have already adjusted and
      in fact have no low hanging fruit to pick. Those who are oblivious
      to their energy use won’t even bother to pick the lowest of the
      lowest of the low fruit. Some people are so unconcerned they
      leave their vehicles running just to piss liberals off.
      That Amber alert the other day was because someone
      left their car running with a 3 year old
      autistic child in the back seat and someone stole it.
      But don’t get me going on that.
      Some people say “a pox on led light bulbs”. They use 90 % less electricity
      but people won’t use them. A few concerned people taking cold
      showers and living in the dark will do nothing.
      The same same people who leave their cars running to piss
      liberals off will post videos of their showers just wasting hot
      water just to piss liberals off.
      So the only thing we can really do is to vote the republicans out
      of office, and allow the government to raise our energy standards.
      Obama and the auto companies agreed to raise the CAFE standards,
      reducing fuel usage, reducing demand and ultimately
      lowering the price and saving Americans money. And trump
      repealed them. Now the Biben admin is trying to up the efficiency of
      air conditioners . The new efficiency standards would add about
      $40 to the price of an A/C and save about $80 per year for
      the consumer, but the right wing media and politicians
      tell us that “they’re coming for your A/C”
      and the sheep foam at the mouth in anger and fear.
      How stupid can Americans be ?
      Yeah, that’s a rant– get over it —
      (that last comment is not directed at you, Mary)
      Keep on it 🙂

      • “ecofascism” as “a totalitarian government that requires individuals to sacrifice their interests to the well-being of the ‘land’, understood as the splendid web of life, or the organic whole of nature, including peoples and their states”. We are getting there soon.

    • Thank you MKelfer for your comment.
      I have been wondering why there isn’t much talk about using less energy.
      Why do banks have large tv screens on all day?
      Does the steamship really need tv’s ? It’s only 45 minutes to woods hole, I’m sure
      passengers can go without their iPads for that amount of time, they may believe they can’t, but before the computer-cell phone age we managed just fine.
      Shutting off your cars when you go into a store or post office, you wil survive without the heat or air conditioning for a few minutes, not to mention the exhaust poisoning
      our air and lungs.
      We NEED trees for cooling shade, replace them when they die.

  10. How many liberal left eco warriors helped build, furnish, and cater to island McMansions and their heated swimming pools, in-ground irrigation systems that water the unnaturally green lawns in the rain, and stay heated and unoccupied all winter? Especially those in the building trades, like carpenters and landscapers. Are there any islanders who don’t, if not make their living from, at least financially benefit somehow from these energy gobblers? If you service them in any way, make jewelry for them, drive them to their private planes at the airport, serve them their $40 burgers, sew curtains for their passive solar windows, you are part of the problem you have invented as another group to dehumanize and hate. Do you “eco-warriors” know what hypocrites you are? Liberals would rather spend their time telling everyone who doesn’t fall into their cult that they’re “stupid”, rather than be productive for their cause de jour. It’s all about hating and dehumanizing for liberals these days. Wish I had had a Hummer back when I had a car. In my experience, and i have a bit of it, every liberal who gets on a soapbox to say how stupid everyone else is for not doing blah, blah, blah does more damage to their cause than people idling their car engines. It’s a backwardness in thinking (do libs actually think?) that makes as much sense as accusing Jewish supporters of Israel’s right to exist and defend itself of blood libels, (like wanting to burn alive Palestinian babies. A pro Hamas liberal actually accused me of that nonsense in these pages).

    Here’s the thing. If a liberal is spouting their hateful garbage, I no longer care what it is about. If they are for it, I know I should be against it. That’s the kind of damage their hate speech does. Americans are not as “stupid” as haters think. Calling everyone who disagrees with you “stupid” is as intelligent as shooting your cause in the foot.

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