Allco Renewable Energy Group, a New York-based firm specializing in renewable energy projects, plans to develop up to four wind projects off the coast of Rhode Island, including a project south of Block Island, that would produce renewable energy for residents and businesses of Block Island and the state. The other projects are proposed for two sites south of Little Compton in Rhode Island Sound and one site east of Fishers Island.
‘Because of Gov. [Donald] Carcieri's laudable commitment to developing renewable energy resources through wind power, we believe Rhode Island could be the first state to successfully develop an offshore wind farm in the United States,’ says Jim Wavle, managing director of Allco.
In September, Allco submitted eight preliminary applications for permits to the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) after discussions with the CRMC in late summer.
Four of the permit applications submitted to the CRMC request permission to place meteorological masts in four of the offshore districts identified in the governor's RIWINDS Wind Energy Siting Study. The other four permit applications submitted relate to the actual build-out of wind projects in each of those areas.
‘The placement of meteorological masts is a critical first step in analyzing the economic viability of any wind project, and they must be installed at least a year and a half in advance of the actual build-out of any project,’ says Gordon Alter, senior vice president of Allco.
