The U.S. Department of Energy announced new investments focusing on advancing offshore wind transmission planning, research, technology and partnerships, to establish U.S. leadership in floating offshore wind development.
The moves are expected to help generate thousands of jobs, reduce the cost of electricity and enhance energy security, according to a Feb. 22 news release. Newly-formed research partnerships include the Expansion of National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium, the Initiation of Offshore Wind Operations and Maintenance Roadmap and the Lidar Buoy Deployment in Hawaii.
“Floating offshore wind offers untapped opportunities for us to produce clean, reliable and affordable power for millions,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said in the release. “President Biden wants America to become a global leader of offshore wind technology and deployment, and, with his historic climate investments, DOE is capturing this potential to spur private investment, boost the domestic supply chain and deliver on our bold clean energy goals.”
The Biden-Harris administration's Floating Offshore Wind Shot initiative's goals are to reduce the cost of floating offshore wind energy by more than 70% by 2035 and deploy 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind by 2035, according to the release. This will help advance the U.S. to "lead the world on floating offshore wind technology, create thousands of good-paying jobs, lower energy costs for families and strengthen U.S. energy security."
In addition, the DOE is launching a 20-month West Coast Offshore Wind Transmission Study funded by U.S. President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, the release reported. The study will investigate how to increase transmission to use electricity from floating offshore wind to power West Coast towns while evaluating multiple approaches to achieving offshore wind goals and promoting grid reliability, resilience and ocean co-use.
The study's findings will be used to develop workable plans through 2050 to help resolve transmission constraints that are currently limiting offshore wind development along the West Coast, according to the release.
