Offshore Wind Research Receives Boost from U.S. Department of Energy

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Offshore wind research, manufacturing and technology providers were recently allocated $43 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) to improve technological innovation, lower costs and shorten the time it takes to deploy offshore wind turbines along the nation's coastal waters.

The projects will advance current designs, hardware and tools, as well as improve information about offshore wind resources and accelerate the development of offshore windfarms by reducing market barriers such as supply chain development, transmission and associated infrastructure.

The DoE hopes to encourage competition in offshore wind energy manufacturing, economic development and jobs creation, and support development of an emerging industry that will supply clean renewable energy to the existing electrical grid. The development of offshore windfarms could help the U.S. provide clean energy to our coastal populations and offset greenhouse gas produced by conventional power sources, while providing badly needed jobs.

Nineteen offshore wind technology projects will receive $26.5 million to address technological challenges, including floating support structures and turbine, rotor and control subsystems, which could lead to cost reductions of up to 50%. The DoE will provide 22 offshore market-barrier projects with a total of $16.5 million to research factors limiting the deployment of windfarms, such as financial risks, long-term manufacturing needs and port requirements, transmission grid integration and the potential impact on offshore navigation and communication systems.

Companies receiving the funding include Alstom Power Incorporated (Richmond, Virginia), which will receive $4.1 million to study an advanced control system and a floating wind turbine platform design in order to maximize energy production while minimizing negative impacts to turbine structures. Navigant Consulting Incorporated (Burlington, Massachusetts) will receive $350,000 to examine existing supply chains, identify current gaps and barriers, and recommend strategies for developing a robust supply chain for offshore windfarms. The University of Texas at Austin will receive $500,000 to assess the impact of offshore windfarm on electronic equipment and recommend mitigation measures.

U.S. offshore developers have benefitted from the lessons of European equipment manufactures and developers, and as result it is expected offshore windfarms will grow significantly once the necessary local infrastructure needs, such as ports, vessels, supply chains and logistical services, are established.

Benefits of this new industry include the creation of thousands of jobs, reducing reliance on foreign oil, stabilizing energy costs, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions from conventional power generation sources.

Wind energy currently meets 5.3% of the European Union's electricity consumption from an installed capacity of 84.3 gigawatts (GW). Analysts project that by 2020, wind should meet 15.7% the E.U.'s consumption with an installed capacity of 230 GW. In the U.S. the installed wind power capacity is 43,461 megawatts (MW), representing 2.4% of electricity consumption, yet no offshore windfarms have been built off the coast of the U.S. because of factors such as permitting, environment, financial and local objections based on aesthetics.

Several offshore windfarms are being developed in the U.S., with the earliest scheduled for construction in mid-2012. Another major development equally important to proposed offshore windfarms is the Atlantic Wind Connection, a proposed undersea high-voltage direct-current transmission line that would run from the coast of Virginia to the coast of New Jersey, serving as a connection to the onshore electrical grid for all future offshore windfarms. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar stated that the offshore wind energy potential is so great that it could produce more electricity than the entire country's onshore wind generating capacity.

A Senate bill currently making its way through Congress would extend investment tax credits to the first three gigawatts of offshore windfarms placed into service and hasten financing of offshore windfarms currently being developed.

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