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American offshore wind gaining momentum

By: Tom Russell 01/10/2015 AWEA edited by 4C Offshore

General Turbines Windfarms

The momentum building for the development of offshore wind power in the U.S. was on full display over the last two days during the American Wind Energy Association’s Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland.

Hundreds of attendees, including wind energy industry leaders, government officials, investors, academics, and advocates, were buzzing about the Block Island Wind Farm, the nation’s first offshore wind farm. The Rhode Island project, developed by Deepwater Wind, is now under construction and is set to be completed in 2016.

“American offshore wind power is ramping up with a pipeline of projects moving forward,”

Said Tom Kiernan, AWEA CEO.

Kiernan further commented that: “Land-based wind is leading the way as those costs have come down 66 percent in just six years. With continued technology advancement and planning offshore wind in the U.S. will follow a similar path.”

Conference attendees had even more reasons to be excited as the U.S. has 13 offshore projects in various stages of development and the industry surpassed several regulatory milestones this summer.

“We’re proud to be at the forefront of launching a new American renewable energy industry, and we’re confident that the Block Island Wind Farm is just the start of something much bigger,”

Said Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski.

Grybowski added: “Offshore wind provides the United States with its best opportunity for a new large-scale source of affordable, efficient energy. We’re more optimistic now than ever about the potential of offshore wind to transform the country's energy future and to reenergise local economies."

Along with Rhode Island, Maryland has emerged as a leader for offshore wind in the U.S. The state’s pursuance of financial incentives and conducting early survey work is expected to expedite project development and permitting. Earlier today Keystone engineering announced they had been awarded a contract for the design of Maryland offshore wind farm's meteorological mast tower foundation. The US Wind’s proposed 500 megawatt (MW) project has conducted site survey work to design and place steel foundations. Once completed, the project would supply enough energy to power 300,000 American homes.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that it will auction almost 350,000 acres starting 7 miles offshore New Jersey in two leases for offshore wind development on Nov. 9, 2015. And in North Carolina, the Department of the Interior and BOEM conducted an environmental assessment and found no significant impact would result from development of offshore wind energy areas in the state. After meeting with the North Carolina Renewable Energy Task Force next week, BOEM will publish a Proposed Sale Notice.

Across the country, the U.S. could install a total of 86,000 MW of offshore projects nationwide by 2050 according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). That growth would necessitate an entirely new supply chain that could make big waves by helping to revitalise America’s port cities and supporting well-paying jobs.

Developing offshore wind power in the U.S. can also provide significant consumer benefits. Offshore wind captures the sea breeze on hot summer afternoons, which kicks in when electricity is most needed and often very expensive. Zero-fuel cost wind energy contributes to reductions in wholesale electricity prices, adds to fuel diversity, and provides a hedge against volatile fossil fuel prices. Further benefits for ratepayers result from offshore wind’s ability to reduce congestion in the PJM region and elsewhere.

Stable policy is a key element in helping the U.S. wind industry bring costs down, drive investment, and create jobs. Extending the renewable energy Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit this year remains critical for keeping Americans at work, reducing the cost of wind energy and continuing to scale up this homegrown resource through the end of this decade.

AWEA Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition is the largest offshore wind power gathering in the U.S.

For more information on Maryland offshore wind farm or Block Island Wind Farm please follow the links provided. Alternatively you can view information on any wind farms in the U.S. using our offshore wind farms database. We also display offshore wind farms on our interactive map.

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American offshore wind gaining momentum

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