Climate Solution
While the Earth’s climate has changed throughout its history, current warming is happening at a rate not seen in the past 10,000 years (NASA). The ocean is warming, sea levels are rising, and extreme weather events are occurring with alarming frequency.
September 2023 hottest month on record
Source: Berkeley Earth
In September 2023 the global average temperature broke new records by a staggeringly wide margin 0.9°F—the largest monthly anomaly of any month — since records began in 1850.
“This month was — in my professional opinion as a climate scientist — absolutely gobsmackingly bananas,” said Berkeley Earth researcher Zeke Hausfather.
The future demands clean energy
To keep global warming under 1.5°C, the threshold set by scientists to stave off the most severe climate change impacts, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must reach net zero by 2050.
Achieving major carbon emissions reductions in the electricity sector will require the development of hundreds of gigawatts of new renewable energy resources by 2050 in the United States alone.
Offshore wind energy has the potential to be the largest ocean-based mitigation solution to decarbonize the electricity sector and address the global climate crisis.
According to the International Energy Agency, offshore wind energy could provide almost 36,000 TWh of electricity per year, nearly the world’s electricity demand by 2040, significantly reducing carbon emissions.
And the Ocean Conservancy reports that the responsible, accelerated, and large-scale development of offshore wind would support the urgent need to halt biodiversity loss and conserve ecosystem health and critical habitat.
The U.S. offshore wind energy project development and operational pipeline reached a potential generating capacity of 52,687 megawatts in May of 2023.
Offshore wind has a significantly lower carbon footprint than other major energy sources.
Results vary by size of the turbines and location but fall within a range of five to 26 grams of CO2-equivalent per kilowatt-hour.
New England—An abundance of offshore wind
New England’s coastal regions are densely populated with a growing demand for electricity. At the same time, New England states are aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 80% or more below 1990 levels by 2050.
- New England offshore winds are stronger than almost anywhere in the world—and are strongest and most consistent during the winter when energy is needed the most.
- Offshore wind provides the significant electricity capacity needed to the region’s power grid as the region’s fossil fuel and nuclear power plants retire.
- Sustainable and equitable offshore wind power can support environmental justice and underserved communities.
SouthCoast Wind will deliver 2,400 megawatts of clean sustainable electricity
The SouthCoast Wind team is fully committed to a new and equitable energy future. And we believe that offshore wind is the most promising solution to transition to renewable energy rapidly and at scale.
SouthCoast Wind’s benefits
4M
Metric tons of GHG emissions avoided annually