AWEA: Offshore Wind Power Gains Traction in U.S.

September 11, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS

AWEA hosted the workshop in cooperation with the Sierra Club and the University of Delaware.

The workshop covered the benefits of integrating offshore wind into the U.S. energy picture, offshore wind technology, regulatory environment, wind and wave assessment and measurement techniques, and the environmental and community considerations.

"No wind projects have been built off U.S. shores yet," said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher.

"But it's just a matter of time. Offshore wind resources are not only vast, they are often located near fast-growing, populated coastal areas where demand for power is huge and growing and concerns about global warming abound."

Delmarva Power signed a 25-year contract with Bluewater Wind Delaware LLC for up to 200 megawatts from a Bluewater proposed facility 11.5 miles offshore Rehoboth Beach in Delaware.

It was the first such contract signed in the U.S. and the Delaware Public Utilities Commission approved the agreement, said AWEA.

A project proposed off the coast of Cape Cod has been in the planning and approval process for several years. More projects are being considered or proposed along the Atlantic coast, from New York to Texas.

In May 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report on a 20% wind energy scenario found offshore wind capacity could be about one-sixth of total wind power generation by 2030.

Source: American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).