The Biden administration on Tuesday granted permission for what is described as the first utility-scale offshore wind farm near Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, the first step in delivering on its promise to goose development of wind energy — a significant part of ending our reliance on fossil fuels.
President Joe Biden said in March that he wanted to build enough offshore wind-power capacity by the end of the decade to create 30 gigawatts of power — enough to power 10 million homes. The proposed Vineyard Wind project would produce 800 megawatts beginning in late 2023, enough to power 400,000 homes and businesses.
Which makes this approval a relatively small but crucial step forward. The truth is, the U.S. needs much more wind power, and solar power, if we are to end our reliance on fossil fuels for energy. And that will mean wind farms off the California coast, too, and soon.