Dear future President,

It is essential that we use wind energy to stop the harm of fossil fuel pollution. One offshore wind turbine can generate enough electricity for 3,312 average households in just one year. Using this technology, we can eventually move away from fossil fuels and be the first country that runs off of a clean source of energy.

Everyday, members of our families breathe polluted air from fossil fuels which imperceptibly change the health of our hearts and lungs until it is not imperceptible anymore. Creating offshore wind turbines can solve this problem. As a country, we can create enough clean energy to help prevent air pollution and global warming by building more wind turbines. According to http://www.environment america.org who are expert researchers in renewable energy, “Wind energy avoids about 68 million metric tons of global warming pollution annually and wind energy also avoids 137,000 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions and 91,000 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions, important contributors to ozone smog and soot pollution.” Wind energy is pollution free compared to coal and natural gas, which is one of the main causes of pollution and global warming.

I am advocating for offshore wind energy because in the United States 53% of our nation's population lives in coastal area where energy costs and demands are high and land-based renewable energy resources are limited. Building offshore wind turbines will not only generate more energy than wind turbines on land, but will not affect our daily lives. According to Bureau Ocean Energy Management(BOEM), “Offshore winds tend to blow harder and more uniformly than on land. As a result, increased wind speeds of only a few miles per hour can produce a significantly larger amount of electricity. For instance, a turbine at a site with an average wind speed of 16mph would produce 50% more electricity than a site with the same wind turbines of 14 mph” This is one of the main reasons developers are interested in creating offshore wind energy resources.

Most people will argue, why not save time and money and create more solar panels. according to grist.org, the cells inside the solar panels are toxic and we can’t recycle them. In addition, solar panels only generate energy during hours of sunlight. Wind turbines run 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and actually produce more energy when the weather is inclement. The wind never stops blowing, but the earth keeps spinning! One of the most important factors is that scientific engineers are working on creating more hurricane resistant wind turbines. Which incredibly describes that during a hurricane or a storm, the wind turbines will generate even more electricity than normal. It is significant, for we can use the harsh winds of the ocean and convert them into renewable energy.

One offshore wind turbine can generate enough electricity for 3,312 average homes in 1 year! According to U.S. Energy Information Administration, an average person uses 911 kWh per month. If we construct enough wind turbines around our coastal areas, we will change the way our country is. According to BOEM, “In a July 2012 Technical Report, NREL estimates a gross wind power resource of 4,223 GW off the coast of the United States. That is roughly four times the generating capacity of the current U.S. electric grid. Even if only a fraction of that potential is developed, clearly there is enough offshore wind resource to power a substantial portion of our nation’s energy needs.”

What will happen if we keep polluting our air and destroying our earth with fossil fuels? What will happen when our food supply decreases? What will we have done to our children’s futures? What will happen when the world crumbles apart from fracking? What will happen when it is too late for a solution? Europe has already started making the change. It’s time for the U.S. to catch up.

Sincerely,

Concerned citizen