Massachusetts Sets Aggressive Wind Power Targets for 2020

by Climate Weekly – Jan. 20, 2009

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has set the lofty goal of developing 2,000 megawatts (MWs) of wind power by 2020. Noting that new mandates require increased investments in renewable energy, Gov. Patrick said it's time to make a push toward greater wind power now that the state is on target to reaching 250 MWs of solar power in Massachusetts by 2017.

DOE's Wind Technology Testing Centers

Massachusetts currently runs one of only two U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored wind technology testing centers, Cape Wind, which is poised to become the nation's first offshore wind farm. The project will use 130 wind turbines to harness 420 MWs of clean, renewable energy.

The project reports that with average Cape winds, the farm will be able to provide 75 percent of Cape Cod and the Islands' electricity needs. Opponents of the project argue that it could compromise water views, property values, navigation, and historical sites.

On Jan. 16, the Minerals Management Service, which is a division of the Department of Interior, released its final impact statement concluding that Cape Wind does not pose any serious environmental threat.

"With the growing interest in wind turbines we see in communities across the Commonwealth and the abundant wind resource we have off our coast, wind power is going to be a centerpiece of the clean energy economy we are creating for Massachusetts," he said.

Any Additional Power Will Be Improvement

The state is already using nine wind turbines to generate 6.6 MWs of wind power-generating capacity, while there are currently about 300 wind turbines across the state in various planning and permitting phases.

According to the governor's office, installing wind capacity of 2,000 MW will meet about estimated 10 percent of its current electric load with clean, renewable wind power. It's likely, too, that by displacing fossil fuel usage, the state will be able to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 3.1 million tons, or roughly 12 percent of emissions from power plants today.

Massachusetts No Stranger to Spotlight on Alternative Energy

In 2007, Massachusetts received national attention for announcing its goal of producing 250 MW of solar power by 2017, a 246 MW increase over the amount of power installed when Gov. Patrick took office. Last January, the governor launched Commonwealth Solar, a program that provided rebates for more than 400 installations representing 4.6 MW of solar power across the state.

Also in 2007, the state enacted the Green Communities Act, which according to Energy and Environmental Affairs Director Ian Bowles, "smoothed the way for wind turbines with new incentives, and municipalities around the Commonwealth are lining up to bring wind power to their communities." Last year, the Global Warming Solutions Act went into effect, requiring the state to cut GHG emissions by 80 percent by 2050, and up to 25 percent by 2020.