The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) sponsored a conference on offshore wind power in Virginia on Saturday to promote project development off the shores of the commonwealth.
‘In a stalled economy, few industries have the potential to bring more jobs to the commonwealth than the renewable offshore wind industry,’ said Terry McAuliffe, chairman of GreenTech Automotive Corp. ‘Offshore wind relies on American ingenuity and innovation to provide the clean, domestically produced energy we need, while offering an opportunity to provide thousands of quality jobs for Virginians.’
Sponsors and key participants at the daylong conference called on Dominion Virginia Power to include offshore wind energy in its 2011 Integrated Resources Plan, a 10-year plan that details how the utility intends to meet future electricity demand.
Participants also encouraged Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va., and the General Assembly to remove policy barriers and create incentives for the development of offshore wind energy.
Studies show that Virginia could power 700,000 homes by the end of this decade with modern wind turbines placed 10 miles or more off the Atlantic shoreline. This would create thousands of jobs and help stabilize electricity rates while reducing harmful global-warming pollution, according to CCAN.
Other sponsors of the event include the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, Green Jobs Alliance, Interfaith Power & Light, the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Virginia Conservation Network.
