Coastal Energy and Climate Change

Virginia features over 3,300 miles of coastline and many low lying urban and industrial centers that are subject to flooding and erosion. Global-warming-induced sea level rise and more extreme tropical storms and hurricanes are likely to have increasingly severe impacts. Nearly 4,000 MW of new offshore wind capacity can be located beyond the usual horizon (12 nautical miles offshore) off Virginia Beach that could result in significant CO2 emission reductions.