Advocating for Offshore Wind in Delaware
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Delaware Offshore Wind Events
Global Day of Wind Events
Date: Saturday, June 13th, 1pm
Location: Wilmington and Cape Henlopen
At the Cape, you will get a chance to meet other people curious about or supportive of offshore wind and hear from speakers on the current status of the journey to secure clean and renewable energy! In Wilmington, we will be building and flying kites, but we will also have little wind turbine kits that the kids can build. You can bring your own kite if you’d like, but we will also have kits, so you can design and build your own (available for both adults and kids).
Join the Sierra Club as they celebrate Global Wind Day at Cape Henlopen State Park and the Can Do Playground Field in Wilmington!
We will have some limited-edition Offshore Wind T-shirts included in the cost of admission for the first 20 registrants for each event!
What’s New: Offshore Wind in Delaware
2 times or more of tabling for POWER
since POWER began tabling in 2022:
POWER THANKS YOU!
Jay Bancroft
Tom Brett
Frank Burns
Beth Chajes and CCL team
Mary Douglas
Mike Dunmyer
Jill Gaumer
Nancy Hannigan
Marissa McClenton
Peter McLean
Leslie Richeson
Larry Ryan
Sue Vatnick
Delaware Offshore Wind Facts
Jobs
Where there’s an offshore wind project there will be jobs.
These jobs can be sorted into three categories: Direct (construction, engineering, etc.), Indirect (food trucks, manufacture of turbine components), and Operations and Maintenance (ongoing maintenance). If the project site is off the coast of Delaware, Delawareans will be able to apply for jobs in all three categories.
Health
There are health and climate benefits of offshore wind facilities in the mid-Atlantic United States.
Electricity from fossil fuels contributes substantially to both climate change and the health burden of air pollution.
Climate Change
Climate change is speeding toward catastrophe, UN panel says.
A new report says it is still possible to hold global warming to relatively safe levels, but doing so will require global cooperation, billions of dollars and big changes.
Fishing
Sports fishermen off Block Island, RI, find that the underwater structures of offshore wind turbines enhance fishing. Commercial fishermen have concerns.
The data shows that recreational anglers fare well near offshore wind turbines. Some commercial fishermen are troubled by the location of offshore wind turbines and the possibility of tangling their gear on the turbine underwater structures.
Tourism/Public Perception
Polls, visual simulations, research flesh out the picture of public reaction/response to offshore wind.
Delaware offshore wind developer specialists have worked out how an offshore wind farm will look under varying conditions, showing simulations to illustrate their point.
Siting
Making landfall and lining up and/or building facilities that will attach the offshore power to the onshore grid is a concern of Delawareans.
All of this onshore infrastructure activity is usually subsumed under the heading of “Siting.”
BOEM Lease Areas
View Bureau of Ocean Energy Management maps of the area off Delaware’s coast, and learn about BOEM hearings. What has POWER said at the hearings? What are DNREC’s comments?
BOEM controls all offshore wind activity 3 miles from the shore out to the edge of territorial waters.That is the area where offshore wind projects will be located. All federal permits required of offshore wind developers are handled by BOEM.
Birds
“Wind energy can be a powerful factor in protecting the birds that we love,” says the Audubon Society. Read about guidelines for protecting seafaring birds.
Bird lovers want to see birds protected, fearing deadly collisions. Climate change is an even greater threat, you will read.
Marine Mammals
There are no data or evidence linking whale mortalities to any one specific factor, including offshore wind development.
NOAA, the Marine Mammal Commission, and the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management all find no connection between whale strandings and offshore wind.
Recycling
85-90% of a wind turbine can be recycled, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy.
Recycling materials in decommissioned turbines saves energy and diverts waste from landfills. Learn about progress being made in recycling the remaining 10-15%.