How To Grow U.S. Offshore Wind Power

Report details regional and national strategies to support the Administration’s goals for offshore wind deployment.

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced the release of a report that outlines regional and national strategies to accelerate U.S. offshore wind deployment and operation. The report summarizes the current status of offshore wind in the United States, describes challenges to accelerating its deployment, and identifies strategies to secure United States global leadership in the industry.

Implementing the strategies discussed in the report could help the country achieve the interagency goal to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030, which would support 77,000 good paying jobs, catalyze $12 billion per year in capital investments, revitalize ports, cut 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and unlock a pathway to 110 GW offshore wind by 2050.

“The Offshore Wind Energy Strategies report outlines  strategic priorities and actionable information to accelerate offshore wind deployment and achieve the Administration’s goal of 30 gigawatts by 2030,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman. Meeting the goal of 30 GW by 2030 will create good-paying American jobs, reduce carbon emissions, and bolster the nation’s global clean energy leadership.”

Prepared by DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, the report lays out strategies and actions needed to accelerate cost-effective, reliable U.S. offshore wind deployment and operation. The five strategic priorities areas are:

• Increase demand for offshore wind energy and grow the domestic supply chain at lower cost by considering expansion of Federal incentives related to offshore wind energy.
• Continue and catalyze offshore wind energy cost reductions  through technology innovation and adaptations that enable industry growth and provide affordable electricity throughout the country.
• Improve siting and regulatory processes by increasing transparency and predictability, auctioning new lease areas, understanding development impacts, expanding stakeholder engagement, and facilitating ocean co-use.
• Invest in supply chain development, including customized offshore wind ports and vessels to establish a logistics network and attract further investment.
• Plan efficient and reliable transmission and grid integration to deliver offshore wind energy at scale.

Each strategic priority area is supported by several focus areas and detailed initiatives. The report also includes initiatives specific to offshore wind in four U.S. coastal regions — Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes.

The report was developed with input from other agencies, including the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration, the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, as well as DOE’s Office of Electricity, Loan Programs Office, and Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy.

Read the report, or for more information on DOE’s work to advance offshore wind energy, see DOE’s Offshore Wind R&D web page.

Courtesy of Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.

Featured graph from Offshore Wind Energy Strategies report.