Even though it's the smallest state in the U.S., Rhode Island has some big plans for energy independence. A new study announced today revealed that almost 75% of energy used by the state could be generated by wind power. Current goals by Gov. Donald L. Carcieri reach for just 15%; but the first phase is numbered to indicate higher percentages are coming down the road. Carcieri had this to say of the report,

"In January 2006, I created the [R.I] Office of Energy Resources and tasked it with finding a way to generate 15 percent of Rhode Island's electricity from wind power,' the governor recalled. 'My goal was simple: I wanted to encourage Rhode Island's energy independence through the use of a renewable source. This study … makes clear for the first time that Rhode Island enjoys enough wind to achieve five times that amount of electricity generation."

Called "The Ocean State", Rhode Island has almost 100 square miles suitable for wind generation. These aren't just 'stick your thumb out and feel the breeze' type locales either. These are places where permits from an environmental point of view, as well as social, would most likely easily pass. Great caution and care for migration paths, noise, community support, and other issues will be addressed before any action takes place. From the article,

"We have made no decisions on where to locate wind facilities,' the Governor said. 'We are not looking to load up all these areas with wind turbines, but rather to select the best areas where we can proceed. This will take a lot of community, expert and stakeholder input. The study is just the first step in this process."

Even greater, the infrastructure and expertise is available for Rhode Island to source many of the components for the turbines locally. Plans are coming together to not only make the state efficient, but also as a center of excellence for renewable energy.

You see: Big things do come from small packages.

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