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New US offshore wind project with enough energy to power 840,000 homes is approved: 'A greener and healthier future'

"America's offshore wind resources are big enough to produce more electricity than the nation currently consumes."

"America's offshore wind resources are big enough to produce more electricity than the nation currently consumes."

Photo Credit: iStock

A few last-minute environmental policies made it through before the Biden administration left office. One of them has given even more hope to renewable energy, as the Department of the Interior approved the nation's 11th utility-scale offshore wind project at the end of December. It moves the country closer to its goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.

The South Coast Wind project, which involves 141 wind turbines, will be located 20 miles south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and is projected to produce enough energy to power 840,000 average homes when it's completed, Environment America reported last month.

Johanna Neumann, Environment America Research & Policy Center's senior director for 100% renewable energy, said: "Every offshore wind farm that gets built off our shores moves our nation closer to a greener and healthier future. If all eleven approved wind farms get built, millions of American households will be powered by the winds blowing off our shores, with none of the pollution that harms our planet or the health of our loved ones."

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Wind turbines are better for the environment than other forms of energy for several reasons. They offer clean energy that does not release emissions harmful to air or water, they are renewable and sustainable, they reduce the need for carbon emissions, and they have a low water footprint. This project's ability to power a wealth of homes eliminates the harmful emissions that may come from them.

It also unlocks Inflation Reduction Act tax breaks for the state. Homeowners who want to reduce their environmental impact further could receive more IRA tax breaks by purchasing an electric vehicle or making other environmentally friendly upgrades. They should act fast, however, as President Donald Trump announced on the campaign trail that he intends to roll back these tax breaks.

Ultimately, this offshore wind project is good news for the state. As Environment America wrote, "29 states have offshore wind potential. America's offshore wind resources are big enough to produce more electricity than the nation currently consumes."

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