In order to get the electricity generated by the winds on Horseshoe Shoal into homes, schools and businesses on Cape Cod, Cape Wind will connect into the electric grid at the Barnstable substation through underground cables. From there, the electricity will follow the path of least resistance and be consumed by electric consumers closest to the source, typically on the Cape and Islands.

The wind turbines will begin to rotate and produce power at wind speeds of 8 miles per hour. This wind speed is measured at the height of the rotor where the winds are stronger.

Horseshoe Shoal is so windy that the wind turbines will be rotating and producing power about 86% of the time. For the remaining 14% of the time when wind speeds are very low, existing sources of energy will continue to provide electricity being demanded. No type of power plant produces electricity 100% of the time.

Depending on wind speed, the blades of the wind turbine will complete one rotation in between four and eight seconds. This is equivalent to 8 to 16 revolutions per minute (RPM). Many observers describe this rate of rotation as ‘graceful’. Older, smaller wind turbines rotated much more rapidly and had much higher RPMs. Click here to see a video of an offshore wind farm operating off the coast of Denmark.

The wind turbines will be highly dynamic and they will interact with their environment by sensing changes in wind speed and direction and by making physical adjustments. The nacelle, which sits on top of the tower and which the blades connect into, is capable of making a full 360 degree rotation and the blades can also feather to maximize the wind power production of the wind turbines as the wind changes direction.

No. One of the biggest changes in wind turbine technology over the years is that wind turbine noise has been substantially reduced. The sounds of the wind and the surf are often louder than offshore wind turbines, making them difficult to hear even for boaters traveling through an offshore wind farm.

The wind turbines are rated to survive sustained winds of 150 MPH which is stronger than any storm that Nantucket Sound experienced in the 20th century.