Seen at LiveScience.com:
Wind power could supply all the energy needs of much of the East Coast and then some, if a phalanx of wind turbines running from Massachusetts to North Carolina were installed offshore, a new study concludes.[...]
[Allowing for shipping lanes, migratory bird flightways, and half-mile spacing], the energy needs of most of the East Coast could be met, or even surpassed, with the installation of over 160,000 turbines, according to Kempton’s findings.
The article notes that the technology isn’t quite there yet to build a wind farm in the bight offshore the Mid-Atlantic coasts…and, of course, there is the expectation that NIMBYism would trump environmental concerns.
However, the idea that much of the East Coast’s electrical demand could be met with a renewable, nonpolluting technology is very attractive.
Having said that, I’m still waiting for new laws and ordinances to be passed to require installation of solar panels the roofs of new construction when appropriate.