Why is Cape Wind proposing its wind farm to be located on Horseshoe Shoal in Nantucket Sound?
Based on the experience of European offshore wind farms, there are 3 characteristics of a site that are considered necessary: 1) Strong wind resource 2) Shallow depths 3) Relatively low ocean storm wave heights Nantucket Sound may be the only offshore New England site that meets these criteria. Within Nantucket Sound, Horseshoe Shoal is superior to other possible sites because it is outside of shipping channels, ferry routes, and flight paths. Being located offshore Cape Cod and the Islands, Cape Wind would supply wind energy to the fastest growing electric demand region in New England and connecting into a robust electric infrastructure. The US Army Corps of Engineers evaluated 17 sites in New England for their Draft Environmental Impact Statement of Cape Wind, and they found Horseshoe Shoal to be technically, environmentally and economically preferable to the other sites.
