I’ve been waiting for Google to make some (preferably Green IT) news in my home state of New Jersey, and it’s finally happening. Well, sort of, if you count the waters off our coast.
Google today announced that the company will be backing an offshore wind project called the Atlantic Wind Connection off the New Jersey coast — and parts south — to the tune of $1.8 billion. Instead of installing wind turbines, Google and its partners, Good Energies, Marubeni and Trans-Elect are laying the groundwork for them by placing transmission lines between Virginia and New Jersey that will eventually deliver up to 6 gigawatts of renewable energy when all is said and done. Those lines will link with big population centers (the big red dots in the image above) to “relieve grid congestion” and help avoid a repeat of the debilitating 2003 blackout. It also helps make a strong business case for renewable energy that services big metropolitan areas.
All told, the wind energy “backbone” will take 10 years to complete and cost $5 billion. The first phase will be complete by early 2016 and stretch 150 miles between New Jersey and Delaware.
Image credit: Google
You have to give Google a lot of credit for investing in these big public works projects. Their effort to bring universal WiFi to the San Francisco area didn’t pan out very well, but their involvement brought considerable publicity to the concept. Let’s hope the same holds true here. Here’s more on the Google investment, FYI. http://www.theinfoboom.com/articles/google-invests-in-wind-farm-transmission-project/