Go with the blow
Big-ass wind project launched for mid-Atlantic coast

electric carsA ginormous wind-power-and-transmission project has started taking shape (figuratively so far) off the East Coast of the U.S., backed by piles of cash from Google and other bullish investors. The Atlantic Wind Connection will stretch 350 miles from northern New Jersey to northern Virginia; if all goes well, the first phase will be up and running by 2016. Once the whole thing’s done, it will bring online as much as 6,000 megawatts of new offshore wind energy — enough to power up to 2 million homes, or 31 gazillion iPads. “Game changer” may be the most overused term of 2010, but this might legitimately qualify.

(Offshore-wind runner-up: Cape Wind finally got federal approval.)