America’s Wind Energy Future Looks Seaward

Rough ocean waters surround the Block Island Wind Farm, the United States’ first offshore wind farm. Its five Halide 6-MW turbines installed by Deepwater Wind are supplying the majority of the island’s electricity.   Bringing a $300-million offshore wind farm to life means navigating a web of regulatory and policy hurdles. But for Block Island, which burned through about one million gallons of diesel fuel last year, the change will allow island residents to avoid significant energy costs in the long term—more than $25 per month per capita.