Wind Power

Wind power is a renewable energy source that uses turbines to harness the power from wind to generate electricity. While wind is a renewable source in that it will never run out, turbines can only generate electricity when the wind is blowing, which makes wind power an intermittent source of energy. Wind turbines can be constructed on land (“onshore”) or offshore. Onshore wind turbines are more common because the technology for offshore wind is much newer and rapidly advancing.

As of 2021, wind power makes up 1.3% of Maryland’s total fuel mix. Maryland has many active onshore wind turbines and wind farms.

Maryland has four approved offshore wind projects that will together have a capacity of 2,022.5 MW, or enough electricity to power approximately 600,000 homes. The offshore wind farms will be located off the coast of Ocean City. These projects will likely become operational in 2026. The projects were in response to two bills from the Maryland legislature, the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013, and the Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2019. The Maryland Public Service Commission approved the first round of projects in 2017 and approved the second round in 2021.