Google's Investment Could Pressure Lawmakers To Act On Offshore Wind

Google has announced it will lead a group of private investors in funding hundreds of miles of underwater transmission lines, linking future offshore wind farms to the Eastern seaboard. Google’s involvement could put added pressure on Maryland lawmakers.

Instead of each offshore wind farm building its own costly transmission line to connect the turbines to the mainland, Google’s smart grid will help bring down the costs for initial installation of wind farms, and eventually, lower the rates for customers by essentially providing an offshore power strip that everyone can plug into.

Mike Tidwell of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network believes Google’s investment could be a wake-up call for lawmakers in Annapolis.

“The fact that Google is willing to potentially put billions of dollars into offshore wind basically signals to Maryland that we have to keep up,” says Tidwell.

Maryland lacks laws similar to ones passed in Massachusetts and Delaware which are helping put those states near the front of the pack in the country’s race to go green.