Wind Power

The gusts from the winter storm this week may have begun to die, but the winds of March will keep blowing strong for weeks to come. This month is typically one of the windiest times of the year in Baltimore, but that makes it one of the best times for harnessing wind power.

The graphic above shows roughly how much electricity could be generated from wind power in the Baltimore area over the next four days if the region were to develop its offshore wind power potential. Therefore, our calculations are based on what a theoretical 100-turbine array would generate if it was placed just offshore, to harness the winds that blow over the ocean. The yellow line tracks the National Weather Service’s offshore wind-speed forecast for Thursday through Sunday. The blue bars represent the potential power output from the wind turbines at this theoretical offshore wind farm, in terms of the number of people those turbines could supply with low-emissions electricity.

On Thursday and Friday, which are forecasted to be the windiest of the next four days, wind power could bring electricity to over 581,000 people.