Maryland utility regulators have approved two wind farms off the coast of Ocean City--a seaside resort community. If built, these wind farms would be the largest of their kind in this country. The wind farms will receive subsidies funded through increases in residential and commercial utility bills. The projects, however, still need to obtain federal permits--a process that is expected to begin around December. If the plans are approved, one of the wind farms could be operational by 2020.
But residents of Maryland's Eastern Shore region are worried about the wind farms' 600-foot towers obstructing views and suppressing property values. Ocean City's mayor, Rick Meehan, indicated that the town's elected officials will continue to express their concerns as the permitting process moves forward to the federal level.1
The only offshore wind farm currently operating in the United States is located off of Block Island, Rhode Island, and it has just five turbines. Block Island is a unique situation in which wind is displacing diesel generators at a similar cost for electricity. More on the Block Island wind farm can be read here.
