Sep 16, 2009 5:29 pm US/Eastern
New Sources Of Energy Could Come to Ocean City
OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) ―
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New sources of energy are blowing in the wind in Ocean City.
CBS
Maryland's 31-mile coastline could be ripe for generating clean, green energy out of wind.
Derek Valcourt reports the state says it's looking for developers who want a piece of the action.
Most of Maryland's energy comes from coal, but now the state wants to harness the power of its ocean winds.
A major wind park similar to one off the coast of Denmark could soon be on its way to the coast of Maryland.
Last year,
Eyewitness News first told you about plans to build a wind park off the coast of Delaware and how some companies think one would be ideal off the coast of Ocean City.
Now the Maryland Energy Administration agrees.
"Developers have been looking at Maryland, but no one has yet put in a proposal. We want to help steer those proposals, invite them, let them know that Maryland is open for business," said Malcolm Woolf, Md. Energy Administration director.
Each turbine is 256 feet tall. The blades are 140 to 150 feet long with steel poles extending 75 feet under water. When you put them together, they can provide enough energy to power hundreds of thousands of homes.
The idea intrigues Governor Martin O'Malley.
"On a hazy day, you won't even see them at all. On the clearest of days, they appear about the size of a thumb," said O'Malley.
The U.S. Energy Department rates Maryland's offshore wind potential as "outstanding," but the Maryland Energy officials say they want to carefully study the idea first.
"From a significant perspective, where is this appropriate? Where is wind speeds matching up with ocean depths to avoid ecologically sensitive areas, shipping lanes, naval concerns. We also want to make sure it works with local communities. We don't want to put this in a place where Marylanders don't want it," said Woolf.
Energy officials say it could be early next year before their wind studies are completed, and it could be three or four years after that before we see any of those wind turbines off the coast of Maryland.
Though there are plans to build offshore wind parks in several states, so far there are none of them currently in existence in the United States.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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