Kurz Wind is happy to announce that offshore wind development has more support now than ever before. The New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council, which is a powerful council in the state, has signed a letter supporting the development of large-scale wind production farms and operations off the coast. The council supports the development of commercial offshore wind production in New Jersey for the economic boost it will bring to the state. Wind operations, the council states in its letter, will provide more union jobs in the areas of construction, manufacturing, operations and maintenance, research and development, and related endeavors.
Economic Benefits of Wind Power
One of the biggest reasons that the trades council supports bringing more wind power to New Jersey and beyond is for the significant economic benefits that wind energy provides. The wind industry will be a super important source of job creation in the coming years, according to the American Wind Energy Association, and it is projected to produce about $25 billion in economic output over the next 10 years. The New Jersey Building and Construction Trades Council note that the industry will be a key source of new union jobs, which are historically significant to the state. Traditionally, union jobs in New Jersey have helped develop and sustain the state’s middle class. Union jobs have also led to long-term and reliable careers for many New Jersey residents.
Advances in Wind Energy
The council’s letter comes on the heels of a recent major victory for the wind energy industry in New Jersey. Just last week, construction commenced on a mega 200-acre wind project in Salem County. The massive wind project is a $250 million project that will provide the county and state with clean energy, jobs, and economic revenue. The mega project, which is called the New Jersey Wind Port, will create about 1,500 additional jobs in the state. It is expected to generate approximately $500 million every year in economic activity.
The start of the new wind farm in Salem County will also add more wind energy to New Jersey’s renewable energy profile. New Jersey currently derives about 5% of its power from renewable sources, according to statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Association (EIA). Most renewable energy comes from solar power in New Jersey, which is ranked third in the U.S. for electric power produced from small-scale solar operations. The Salem County project will add more wind power to the state’s wind profile, which is currently comprised primarily of onshore wind production. Some of the largest wind power projects in New Jersey include a farm in Atlantic County with five turbines and a separate wind farm along the coast near New York City that has one large turbine. Collectively, these projects produce less than 1% of the state’s wind power. However, studies have shown that there is much greater potential for wind power offshore.
Meeting Renewable Energy Goals
New Jersey initially set a target of 3,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind energy by 2030, but that goal was recently increased to 7,500 MW of wind power by 2035. The letter signed by the council will help pave the way for more wind energy projects that will help bring more wind power to the state and in turn help meet its ambitious renewable energy targets. The largest wind farm in the state located off the coast has a total size of 1,100 MW in capacity. The project, which is also the country’s largest offshore wind farm, was approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
Contact Kurz Wind to learn more about wind power and the advantage of offshore wind today.
Categorised in: Latest Wind Power Industry News - Kurz Wind Division
This post was written by Matt Passannante
Comments are closed here.