As wind turbine technology advances and calls for renewable energy grow, states such as New Jersey are considering large wind farm projects. The Department of the Interior and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced a proposed sale of commercial wind energy leases for 344,000 acres off the coast of Atlantic City. The need for a low carbon footprint and renewable energy is on many Americans’ minds, but what are the consequences for so much construction in virtually untouched areas? Could offshore wind farming have catastrophic effects? Conducting yearlong surveys of these intended areas, monitoring them by placing microphones and video cameras on the ocean floor, and proceeding with caution thereafter is what’s being recommended.
Sources:
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, “How Offshore Wind Farms Affect Marine Species,” Environmental News Network, October 17, 2014, http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/47946.
Helen Bailey, Kate L Brookes, and Paul M Thompson, “Assessing environmental impacts of offshore wind farms: lessons learned and recommendations for the future,” Aquatic Biosystems, September 14, 2014, http://www.aquaticbiosystems.org/content/10/1/8.
Student Researcher:Â Fabio Filla (Indian River State College)
Faculty Evaluator: Elliot D. Cohen (Indian River State College)