Will Wind Farms Equal Jobs?

The story that wind farms will be constructed off the coast of Southern New Jersey appears to be heating up.

In June, the Cape May County Herald, reported that Atlantic Wind Connection presented to local community leaders in Cape May County about plans to construct a 350 mile transmission system that will be able to transmit 6,500 to 7,000 megawatts of electricity from wind farms located off the New Jersey coast.

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US Interior Department has completed an environmental impact study regarding off shore wind farms and concluded there would be little environmental impact from off shore wind farms.  The Journal believes that the findings are an indication that the agency may be prepared to open up the coast of New Jersey for wind farm development.  Indeed, the Journal reports that up to 354,000 acres off the New Jersey coast are being considered for wind farm development.

Wind farms will do little to solve our energy problems.  Unfortunately, the current wind farm technology does not generate enough electricity to have any real impact.  What gets me excited about this project is the prospect of job creation and the potential positive impact on the Southern New Jersey economy.  Perhaps we could also add new nuclear power plants to the mix of new energy projects in New Jersey.  Nuclear power is a proven technology that generates a significant amount of energy and creates jobs.  When it comes to new energy sources, the solution needs to be “All of the Above.”