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Dear Dot,
I was considering getting solar panels on my roof but with the approval of Vineyard Wind, should I bother? And how will Vineyard Wind affect my power bill?
–Charlotte Duncan, Edgartown
Dear Charlotte,
Seems a number of us are confused about how, exactly, Vineyard Wind affects our power supply and our pocketbooks so I took your question to Andrew Doba, a spokesperson for Vineyard Wind. While touting the benefits — the 800-megawatt project will power 400,000 homes and businesses and reduce carbon emissions equivalent to taking 325,000 cars off the road annually — Doba pointed out that wind power remains just a part of our clean energy future. “Each wind farm is a big leap forward but incremental at the same time,” he said. In other words, it’s not a replacement for solar panels so much as a companion for them. As for cost, “bills are complicated,” says Doba. While it remains unclear if energy costs will go down, he says, it’s safe to say that your bill will not increase because of Vineyard Wind.
