If more voters cared enough to examine the counter-productive fantasy of depending on sunshine and breezes for life-sustaining energy, we might yet stem the tide of the wind industry invasion which promises only to leave unfathomable detritus littering land and sea forever. Reporting on Friday’s Cape Wind announcement, Bloomberg News notes that ‘several of the developers [planning industrial wind projects up and down the East Coast] said they learned a key lesson from Cape Wind: don’t try to build within sight of shore.’ It’s a dishonorably reassuring line: The Martha’s Vineyard Times reminds us that three companies are scheduled to submit bids later this month to site wind farms just 15 miles off the southern coast of Martha’s Vineyard. A 2012 BOEM-sponsored Offshore Wind Turbine Visibility study found that “small to moderately sized facilities were visible to the unaided eye at distances greater than 26 mi, with turbine blade movement visible up to 24 mi. At night, aerial hazard navigation lighting was visible at distances greater than 24 mi.” IWTs have grown a lot since 2012. The recently-installed Block Island Wind Farm turbines are 574’ tall, almost half again as tall as the 397’ onshore Falmouth turbines which catch the eye from Vineyard Haven’s Beach Road 11 miles distant. More importantly, state taxpayers and ratepayers (job-seekers too) will suffer the rocketing costs arising from our aggressive energy bill, passed in 2016, which requires MA utilities to buy a combined 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2027. Today The Australian offers a highly readable explanation of how a power grid dominated by weather-dependant wind and solar has resulted in South Australia power consumers paying the highest power prices in the world, while becoming increasingly vulnerable to sustained energy blackouts during peak demand periods. https://stopthesethings.com/2017/12/02/guilty-subsidised-wind-solar-drive-australias-rocketing-retail-power-prices/ See also: Industrial Wind: A Net Loser: https://www.masterresource.org/windpower/wind-loser/ Twenty Bad Things About Wind Energy: https://www.masterresource.org/grassroots-opposition/20-bad-things-wind-3-reasons-why/ https://stopthesethings.com/2017/11/10/minnesota-throws-billions-at-wind-power-but-co2-emissions-barely-budge/ https://stopthesethings.com/2017/12/01/germanys-wind-solar-obsession-pushes-power-grid-to-brink-of-total-collapse/ https://stopthesethings.com/2017/11/14/kaput-german-wind-farms-set-for-dismantling-as-subsidies-dry-up/

This politically motivated 'feel good' project was nothing but an attempt to force ratepayers to pay at least three times the current cost of electricity to subsidize this pipe dream. Former Governor Deval forced the Massachusetts utilities to buy this overpriced electricity. If it was viable, it would have succeeded on its own. It would be a visual blight on the most pristine views of the world. WHY has nobody bothered to embrace 'marine current turbines', which are underwater and accomplish a RELIABLE (tidal) supply of renewable electricity? There are successful private companies doing this in Scotland without a dime of taxpayer/ratepayer money.

I hope they are gunna take down the tower they put up!

Jim Gordon and Cape Wind came along over fifteen years ago and shook us out of our complacency regarding energy production in America. Many, including myself, started out as doubters and 'energy ignoramuses' but came away fervent supporters. Although Cape Wind will remain an unbuilt vision it transformed the way we think about our energy. It was bold from the start and fraught with all sorts of assaults from extremely well-healed opponents, but Gordon went all fifteen rounds and, whether you were for or against this controversial project we are all far better off for it. Although still lambasted by certain media outlets today, renewable, sustainable energy production of many sorts is here to stay and is the future for America. We are finally leaving our gas-guzzling, entitled attitudes behind in droves and embracing innovative technologies of all sorts, including wind. Fortunately, there are courageous, visionary people like Jim Gordon willing to take on such seemingly insurmountable challenges to lead the way.

" It was bold from the start and fraught with all sorts of assaults from extremely well-healed opponents," Not really "bold." First, our whole political system runs on "well-heeled opponents." Thank heaven some of them stepped up to the plate to halt this terrible project. Its biggest problem was its subsidy-based business plan and the fact that it had no conservation component whatsoever, Furthermore, it didn't makes sense to feed this energy into the off-island grid and then sell it back to Islanders. It was a project for well-connected fat cats.

Going.........Going.........GONE!!!!!

Our country has to be the world leader in sheer stupidity of its energy policies. We have allowed the entire debate to be driven by people whose sole objective is to use the government to make them rich by subsidizing grossly uneconomic investments. It is preposterous to spend countless billions on subsidies for offshore wind turbines when we have vast untapped energy savings from conservation that would be far more cost effective and do more to mitigate global warming. The US has the highest per capita energy consumption of any developed economy. The problem is that no one can make billions of profits from conservation because it is inherently decentralized. So instead of creating tens of thousands of jobs fro improving the efficiency of houses, cars, and businesses, we pay billions to Chinese and Danish suppliers of wind turbines and the tax shelter promoters, lobbyists, and scam artists in the US who have figured out how to make the taxpayer gravy train run right to their doors. At least the most appalling example in recent memory -- Cape Wind -- got stopped but it is a pyrrhic victory given all of the other projects that will go forward over the next few years.

It’s dead. And there are better alternatives that will actually benefit MV, that also embrace the idea that you can build in deep water—out of sight—something Cape Wind insisted wasn’t feasible.

Continuous underwater noise. Obstacles across migratory routes. How many Right Whales died this year? How many other unseen underwater animals died this year? Can't we just leave the seas alone and allow them to heal?

"you fossil fuel people..." wow, I did not hear that from Helen at all. We were spared from poorly considered corporate and political deal making. None of this would not have produced big jobs, big savings or even that much electricity. We can not trash our oceans to clean our air. I intend to continue supporting the Alliance in protecting our waters for years to come. Well done.

so finally the well heeled folks who love wind power - but not in THEIR backyard have finally won. Good job Mr Cronkite

Ah yes, and right across the channel in the Elizabeth Islands at Cuttyhunk stood the first wind powered harbor in tha area... highly visible , though it was a Horizontal Wind turbine, and quite effective! However, one woman, the house sitter of a part time resident complained of the “Noise” it made... some “Squeak” that only she could hear! Eventually she rabble roused enough opposition so that they took it down , early Regan period to date it approximately, and replaced it with a Diesel generator and given the then rising fuel prices, some sticker shock, but as an employee, not hers! They are still (last time I checked) on diesel. My friend in Seattle who installed and maintained the wind turbine moved it elsewhere and it is still in quiet operation 30+ years later..my other friend, a power engineer with Emerson Electric also in Seattle, maintained the Diesel plant. They are in for More sticker shock... the diesel plants are only good for about 30 years and they are due for a new one! And it will be much more than the first one. The house sitter is long gone. Old Chinese aphorism: “Be careful what you wish for.”

All the old people on this thread are way up past their bed time.

I never liked the belief our energy rates would not have been lowered as a result of Cape Wind. I currently have two advanced Solar trackers and I net $1000 a month average with no bother to my neighborhood

Why so happy about the demise of the wind farm? Do you think that the future is filthy coal and oil? Just because wind power is not perfect today does not mean that it will not be the best energy source in the future. The computer that I bought last month is 20x more powerful than the one I bought 10 years ago - and it cost about 1/3 the price! Technology gets better. Look at your cell phones and your wifi connections. Wind and solar will only get better too. Who wants a nuclear power plant on the island? Maybe they can deep drill for oil off the coast. RENEWABLES are the future.