VOW!

Virginia Offshore Wind (VOW) Coalition.

I love Virginia, and today, I have one more reason to be enamored by this great commonwealth. I have just come across the Virginia Offshore Wind Coalition and I feel like I have seen the future of energy.

First things first..Off-shore wind energy is a beautiful thing on many levels. It is good, clean renewable energy and I think the world is ready for it. If Europe is any indication, they have been using wind energy for over a decade. So, this is not a new, radical thought or science fiction; it is happening right now.

From an economic standpoint, I feel like I am standing on the edge of a wave that is going to be a boom to our economy and mark a change for decades, if not centuries to come. This is exciting stuff, we are going into an era where we are done talking about the future of power to where we are putting one foot in front of the other to get it done.

No, it is not the end-all, be-all answer to our energy problems, but it is a significant step in the right direction. It is a meeting of the minds to put the resouces in place to make the right things happen at the right time. I suspect the pace will quicken and progress will follow suit.

At the head of it all is the Virginia Offshore Wind Coalition. They have the vision and are putting together the resources that we will need to see it through. Let's face it, Virginia has the natural resources in the port of Virginia as well as one of the most vibrant ship repair industries in the world. From a supply chain perspective we have been blessed with manpower, natural settings and a proximity to the majority of the energy producing wind on the eastern seaboard. Put it all together and you have one tremendous opportunity.

I would venture to guess that there are very few emerging trends that are going to have as big an impact on our economy over the next 25 years as the offshore wind opptortunity. Virginians should be excited, but even more importantly, they should keep their finger on the pulse of the Virginia Offshore Wind Coalition.