Going Big on Wind Can Mean Fewer Price Spikes, Fewer Winter Grid Issues for New Englanders

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-Earlier this year, three New England states-Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island-banded together to solicit bids for additional offshore wind electricity generating capacity and received bids for almost 5,500 megawatts. Today, Massachusetts announced that they have selected to move forward with three projects totaling 2,678 megawatts, which will power approximately 1.4 million homes. Rhode Island selected 200 megawatts from one project, which will power over 125,000 homes. Their procurements represent the largest offshore wind selection in New England history.

Below is a statement by John Rogers, a senior energy analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

"It's great to see Massachusetts and Rhode Island seizing the opportunity that offshore wind presents. With this investment, utility customers will be able to enjoy more predictable energy bills and added reassurance that the lights will stay on when severe winter storms strike. Communities, especially those that have long borne the heavy burden of oil and gas pollution, will also be able to reap the wide-ranging health benefits that come with displacing fossil fuel-powered electricity generation with zero-carbon alternatives. And these projects can provide a financial windfall by creating a range of new jobs tasked with bringing offshore windfarms to life and economic development in port cities that will serve as a launching point for the foundations, towers and turbines."

According to a recent UCS analysis the risk of electricity blackouts during cold winter months decreases dramatically with the amount of offshore wind power deployed. The analysis revealed that an 8,000-megawatt offshore wind fleet would have virtually eliminated the demand-driven risk of a winter blackout from 2000 to 2022 (the most recent years for which there was data). To put it simply in New England, low temperatures and strong winds tend to travel together, so harnessing and relying on wind power during these times can mean lower costs for ratepayers and a more reliable electric grid for everyone.

To speak with Rogers or another UCS expert, please contact UCS Communications Officer Daela Taeoalii-Tipton.