Cape Wind Project Approved!
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Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has approved the Cape Wind offshore wind farm project! In additon to giving the go-ahead, Salazar outlined a few tweaks to incorporate the concerns of those who have opposed the project.
- The project will be reduced in scope from the original 170 turbines planned to 130.
- Additonal marine surveys will be required before construction to make sure the archaeological heritage of the site can be preserved.
- Other measures will need be incorporated to minimize the "visual impact" of the wind farm.
It's hard to believe it's been nine years since the first announcement of the project in the Nantucket Sound. Some residents of the surrounding area, including Wampanoag indian tribes and the late Sen. Kennedy, have opposed the project because they believe it would obstruct their views (and disrupt spriritual rituals and ancient burial sites of the indians).
But environmentalists around the country and five East Coast governors all rallied for its approval, and in the end, the U.S. is finally getting its first offshore wind farm. The wind farm will have a capacity of 420 MW -- enough to meet 75 percent of Cape Cod and the Islands' electricity needs.
The U.S. leads the world in wind energy capacity, but we've lagged behind other countries, especially in Europe, that have forged ahead with offshore wind.
Why is this a big deal? Because offshore wind is stronger, more consistent and near coastal population centers, meaning more power generation, less gaps in electricity and no need for huge transmission networks (like those needed to distribute wind energy generated in the middle of the country).
via Boston Globe
Japan's Solar Spacecraft Ready to Launch
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Japan's solar sail-powered "space yacht" is all set to launch on May 18. Ikaros (Interplanetary Kite-Craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun) will be the first spacecraft of its kind to attempt to reach deep space.
The craft's 46-foot sails, outfitted with ultra-thin solar cells, will be steered by mission control from the ground, tweaking the angles to ensure enough of the sun's rays are hitting the craft to keep it powering on into space. Other solar-sailed crafts have gone into space, but none have made it beyond orbit. One reason could be that it's not a cheap mission. The JAXA space program has already spent $16 million on this project.
Ikaros will be launched into space by a rocket along with Japan's first Venus-bound satellite before they separate and Ikaros goes fuel-free for the rest of its journey.
The Planetary Society also has a solar-powered space flight planned for sometime this year. It will be interesting to see how the two fair.
via Popular Science
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