First Large-scale Offshore Wind Farm Planned for U.S. East Coast
First Large-scale Offshore Wind Farm Planned for U.S. East Coast

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MASSACHUSETTS — The first "commercial scale" offshore wind farm is coming to the U.S. The developers of the Vineyard Wind 1 project off Massachusetts announced on Dec.

1 that they will use General Electric's massive Haliade-X wind turbines, the largest and most powerful offshore wind turbines in the world.

According to GE, each 13 MW Haliade-X turbine is capable of generating 312 megawatt-hours in one day.

The turbine stands at 853 feet, or 260 meters tall.

GE says a single spin of its 722-foot, or 220 meter, rotor can power a home for two days.

Vineyard Wind has leased a 160,000-acre area 15 miles from the south coast of Martha's Vineyard, an island off Massachusetts, according to the company's website.

Vineyard Wind 1 will consist of 62 Haliade-X turbines spaced at least eight-tenths of a mile apart.

The 800 MW project will power about 400,000 houses in New England and should go online in 2023.