Cape Wind Jim Gordon Chapter 32

Summary Jim Gordon, entrepreneur, : Describes the controversy over an offshore wind farm his company is building near Cape Cod, off the coast of MA; Makes the case for the wind farm, explaining how his company has a history of building high-efficiency power plants all over New England; Believes that wind-energy technology promises to reduce fossil fuel consumption, air pollution, and our nation’s reliance on foreign sources of fossil fuels; and Describes the technology and concedes that there are some disadvantages to wind power.

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Key points Energy technologies are often surrounded by controversy. Wind energy is a renewable energy source. There are many ways to spin an electrical generator. There are pros an cons associated with any technology. How does it work?

Question 1 Question Why does Jim want to build a wind power plant off of the coast of Nantucket? Answer A lot of wind in that area where the electricity demand is rapidly increasing. Cape Cod also has a problem with air pollution and has been the site of oil spills. He hopes to help reduce emissions and focus the community on ways to improve the environment.

Question 2 Question Describe two features that increase plant efficiency in the combined cycle power plants that Jim developed. Answer These power plants are combined cycle natural gas plants, so energy is extracted twice from burning natural gas. As the natural gas is burned, it expands rapidly and turns a generator. The hot exhaust gas, which would otherwise be discarded, is used to boil water into steam, which turns a second generator. So energy that would otherwise be lost is used to produce more electricity.

Question 3 Question What advantages does wind power generation have over coal- fired power plants? What are the disadvantages? Answer Advantages: wind is renewable and does not create pollution. It does not need to be mined, transported, or stored. Disadvantages: wind speed varies from day to day, so it’s hard to predict what the daily output will be. Turbines must be located where the wind is because wind cannot be stored.