Wind Power in New England

The document identifies wind power as the most cost-effective near-term option for increasing renewable electricity in New England, noting that the region's onshore wind resources have the technical potential to supply approximately 60 percent of its current electricity use. It frames this within the broader need to transform the energy system to limit global warming, noting that the Northeast United States emits more CO2 than all but six countries globally. While other solutions like energy efficiency and carbon capture are discussed, wind is presented as more viable than solar, bioenergy, or geothermal power in the region due to cost and resource availability. The document states that if all currently proposed wind projects in New England were completed, they would generate over 5,700 gigawatt-hours of CO2-free electricity annually, representing about seven percent of the electricity used in the proposing states.

• Wind power is identified as the most affordable and viable near-term option for increasing renewable electricity generation in New England, outperforming solar energy, bioenergy, and geothermal electricity in terms of cost or technical viability.
• New England possesses significant onshore wind resources with the technical capacity to meet roughly 60 percent of the region's current electricity demand, although siting and transmission constraints limit actual development.
• The Northeast United States, defined as the area from Pennsylvania and New Jersey northward to Maine, is a major source of CO2 emissions, with power plants ranking as the second largest contributor after transportation.
• Current proposed wind projects in New England have the potential to generate over 5,700 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually, which would account for approximately seven percent of the electricity used in the states where these projects are proposed.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2007). Wind Power in New England. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/wpne-gw.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Wind Power in New England. 2007. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/wpne-gw.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Wind Power in New England |date=March 2007 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/wpne-gw.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2007wind, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Wind Power in New England}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2007}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/wpne-gw.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }