In Delaware, and along the densely populated east coast, there is scarce suitable land for onshore wind parks. Located more than six miles from land as proposed by Bluewater Wind, the Delaware wind park, when visible at all, will appear very small on the horizon. Connecting offshore turbines to the power grid avoids construction of expensive high voltage overland transmission lines.

Delaware's legislature has required Delmarva to request proposals for new power plant generation located within Delaware. In addition, the legislature has required that 10% of the state's electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2018. Bluewater Wind is responding to both of these public policies of the state of Delaware. The University of Delaware has confirmed a rich resource of wind off Delaware's shores.

Yes! Just one 75 MW installation would create an estimated 245 jobs. The offshore wind energy industry in the UK represents a total potential market of £48 billion, and the creation of an entirely new industry will have significant effects beyond the employment figures.

Price stability. Electricity from wind is inflation-proof, and not subject to the price volatility of natural gas, oil, and coal. In the near future, these fossil fuel plants very likely will have to pay carbon taxes related to their greenhouse gas emissions; these taxes could be quite high. On the other hand, wind is a free, and inexhaustible, fuel source. Moreover, a wind park has low, predictable operation and maintenance costs.

Offshore wind is wind energy located offshore, typically in ocean waters, though the wind potential of the Great Lakes is also being explored in the United States. Because offshore winds are more powerful than onshore, offshore wind turbines are usually larger. At present, two offshore wind farms, Cape Wind and Long Island Power Authority have been proposed for the United States and are undergoing review by Mineral Management Service .

The sun's radiation heats different parts of the earth at different rates-most notably during the day and night, but also when different surfaces (for example, water and land) absorb or reflect at different rates. Hot air rises, reducing the atmospheric pressure at the earth's surface, and cooler air is drawn in to replace it. Air has mass, and when it is in motion, it contains the energy of that motion - "kinetic energy.

Wind energy comes from turbines mounted on tall towers. Wind is now the fastest-growing renewable energy source in the world—and it's 100 percent pollution free.

Clean. Geothermal power plants, like wind and solar power plants, do not have to burn fuels to manufacture steam to turn the turbines. Generating electricity with geothermal energy helps to conserve nonrenewable fossil fuels, and by decreasing the use of these fuels, we reduce emissions that harm our atmosphere. There is no smoky air around geothermal power plants -- in fact some are built in the middle of farm crops and forests, and share land with cattle and local wildlife.

There are several factors which suggest the development of an offshore wind energy industry. The resource is extremely large, the energy costs, although initially higher than for onshore, are cheaper than other renewable technologies and the risks are low, as early projects have shown. Many people, while agreeing that wind turbines are a useful strategy, are not happy to see them in their area. This is the NIMBY principle - not in my back yard.

The wind energy resource at sea is extremely large, and the UK has one of the highest in the world with over 33% of the total European potential. In fact, the UK's offshore resource is equivalent to three times the UK's annual electricity consumption. Conservative calculations show that offshore wind alone could meet the 10% target by 2010. Offshore wind speeds are generally higher than coastal wind speeds. Ten kilometres from the shore, speeds are typically around one metre per second higher.

There are no technical barriers to installing offshore turbines but the construction, delivery to site and assembly of such large machines needs specialist equipment and vessels, facilities at ports and careful timetabling to make sure that the possibilities of using calm weather windows are maximised. Most UK developments have been installed using steel monopiles, but projects in other countries have used gravity foundations.

Giant blades that are mounted on a tower catch the wind and turn a shaft. The turning shaft spins a generator that makes electricity.

Watts are very small units, so the terms kilowatt (kw, 1,000 watts), megawatt (MW, 1 million watts), and gigawatt (pronounced "jig-a-watt," GW, 1 billion watts) are most commonly used to describe the capacity of generating units like wind turbines or other power plants. One 50-watt light bulb left on for 20 hours consumes one kilowatt-hour of electricity (50 watts x 20 hours = 1,000 watt-hours = 1 kilowatt-hour).

Here are answers to frequently asked questions about wind. Scroll through the list, or use the search functions to find the answer you're looking for.

The environmental impact of offshore wind farms is considerably reduced compared with those onshore; both noise and visual impact are unlikely to be issues, but there are still some considerations. For example, there could be an environmental impact from carrying out work offshore, such as localised disturbance of the seabed.

Data gathered from European offshore wind parks over the past 15 years demonstrate that the turbines do not endanger birds and marine life. Bluewater Wind's plan to build more than six miles from shore places the turbines well away from the fly zones of most bird populations. The experience in Europe indicates that marine mammals and other marine life are essentially undisturbed by offshore wind turbines.

Despite their size, wind turbines are remarkably quiet. Today's high-tech machines generate what is termed broadband noise, often described as a "whooshing" sound. At a distance of 750 to 1,000 feet, modern windmills are no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator. Delaware's wind park would be sited six miles out (31680 feet), so the whooshing would not be detectable from shore.

offshore wind park will help to stabilize the price of electricity by using an energy source that is not subject to the fluctuation of market prices of fossil fuel, such as coal or natural gas. Bluewater Wind wants Delaware consumers to benefit from this price stability and we will do this by offering to sell the electricity generated at our wind park at a pre-determined price for a long-term period (20 years or more).

The economics of generating electricity from the wind have improved greatly over the last ten years. The price of electricity generated by wind turbines is comparable to that of any new build gas power station and by and large cheaper than any new coal station fitted with clean-coal technology.

One of the most helpful things you can do is to help us win the debate on wind energy. Respond to letters in local and national papers, write to the local planning authority at the council, write to councilors themselves, participate in radio phone-in programmes and wherever else the opportunity arises. There are innumerable independent national polls that show well over three-quarters of the population support wind energy ??" please don't be one of the silent majority and support wind.

Opinion surveys regularly show that just over eight out of 10 people (80%) are in favor of wind energy, and less than one in ten (around 5%) is against it. The rest are undecided. Public opinion in support of wind power tends to become even more strongly in favor once the wind turbines are installed and operating, a finding from several surveys carried out in the UK and in Spain.

Local opposition to proposed wind farms usually arises because some people perceive that the development will spoil the view that they are used to. It is true that a large wind farm can be a significant change, but while some people express concern about the effect wind turbines have on the beauty of our landscape, others see them as elegant and beautiful, or symbols of a better, less polluted future.

There is little doubt that global CO2 emissions have to be greatly reduced if we are to halt global warming. Wind energy produces more watts per euro invested than any other type of renewable energy. Admittedly if there is no wind you will not be generating...BUT...when there is wind (above 3.2 m per second) you will be generating 24/7, day or night. Emissions are virtually nil.

A modern wind turbine produces electricity 80-85% of the time, but it generates different outputs dependent on wind speed. Over the course of the year, it will generate about 30% of the theoretical maximum output. This is known as its load factor. The load factor of conventional coal and gas fired power stations is around 40%. A modern wind turbine will generate enough to meet the electricity demands of more than a thousand homes over the course of a year.

A wind energy system can provide a cushion against electric power price increases. Wind energy systems help reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels; and they are nonpolluting. If you live in a remote location, a small wind energy system could help you avoid the high costs of having utility power lines extended to your site.

a renewable source, wind energy has the following generic advantages: it never runs out and does not contaminate the atmosphere.

From an environmental perspective, wind energy is one of the best new generation options immediately available in New Zealand. Fossil fuel alternatives emit greenhouse gases, and other renewable options have smaller capacities, longer lead times, or are more expensive. Wind farms are a sustainable and environmentally responsible alternative to using fossil fuels for electricity generation.