OCT 13

A new report from NREL says that the U.S. could get 20 percent of its electricity from offshore wind energy by 2030 if wind farms are developed along the coasts and in the Great Lakes.

The report states that by 2030, under conservative assumptions, the country could be generating 54 GW of energy from offshore wind and that the development of those wind farms would create 43,000 permanent jobs and result in an influx of $200 billion in the economy.  The study says that every megawatt of wind energy will directly create more than 20 jobs. This news comes out alongside two other great developments in offshore wind news.

First, as reported yesterday, is that Google and others are investing in a major offshore wind transmission corridor on the East Coast that will allow the delivery of 6,000 MW of wind energy when it's completed.

Second is that the Cape Wind project - the nation's first offshore wind project - has received a 28-year lease from the Interior Department for its development and operation in federal waters, making offshore wind in the U.S. even closer to reality.  Beyond Cape Wind, the report states that 20 projects equalling about 2,000 MW are in the planning and permitting process.

NREL calculated that the total gross offshore wind resource in the country (not accounting for environmental or socioeconomic constraints) is more than 4,000 GW, which is four times the current national energy capacity.  To read the executive summary of the report, click here (PDF).

Comments (7)

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Offshore wind farm jobs
written by Wind Tech, October 14, 2010

Great Article! With the Cape Wind project coming into reality, the way should be paved for other offshore sites that are on the drawing board on the west coast also. Hopefully the construction of Cape Wind goes off without a hitch because it is really setting the example for future developments offshore. It really is a fantastic opportunity for future jobs in green tech and of a new direction for energy production in the United States.

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Myths of Green Energy
written by Kollan, October 15, 2010

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Hu...1586487892

Although I agree we must be putting efforts towards these kind of developments, I don't think this article is accurate.

Thank you.

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Transmission??
written by Practical Solutions, October 15, 2010

This is great, but the biggest problem with wind energy is transmission. If you've got a bunch of off-shore wind farms, you are going to lose a tremendous amount of energy in transference. You think you'll be able to cheaply get wind energy from off either coast to the Midwest?

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good idea
written by Daniela, October 16, 2010

The ocean seems like a good place for wind farms, it certainly addresses the NIMBY problem. Even if power doesn't make it all the way to the middle of the country as @Practical Solutions mentions there's still a huge energy demand in coastal states.

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@Practical Solutions
written by shek, October 16, 2010

Trasmission to the midwest? I'm pretty sure the East and West Coasts will have no problem consuming all that is generated by windfarms in either ocean. If the Midwest would like get energy from the Great Lakes

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...
written by TipThePlanet, October 16, 2010

What's taking the Cape Wind project so long? I sure hope we have the capacity of UK. The UK has the largest wind energy resource of any country in Europe. The windiest areas are generally situated on the coast: the West Coast, in particular, experiences high wind speeds resulting from the strong winds coming over the Atlantic. Hills and mountaintops are also windy locations, as wind moves faster when forced over an obstacle. Wind speeds increase as height above ground-level increases: the wind speed at a height of 50m is over 75% faster than the wind speed at ground level. Wind turbines are therefore often mounted on tall towers.

While waiting, there should be a massive information drive on how people can make their own wind turbines at home.

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Everything Earth and Animal
written by Kim, November 12, 2010

That is awsome. I had heard of wind power and actually was going to write about it in my blog but I had never heard of this project. Even if we could get some energy from it, it would make a difference. I am definitely going to spread the word on this one!

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