Offshore

How the White House plans to achieve its offshore wind goal

How the White House plans to achieve its offshore wind goal
FILE - Two of the offshore wind turbines which have been constructed off the coast of Virginia Beach, Va. are seen on Monday, June 29, 2020. As Virginia-based Dominion Energy seeks to build what it calls the country’s largest offshore wind farm in the Atlantic Ocean, the company and its supporters have touted the economic development opportunities expected to accompany the 176-turbine project. But state regulators say the economic picture might not be so rosy. In testimony filed earlier this month, regulators said the company relied on a “stale” economic study that didn’t account for the impact of its Virginia ratepayers bearing the cost of the approximately $10 billion project. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

The Biden administration is hoping that a 30% reduction in the cost of fixed-bottom offshore wind will help the U.S. deploy 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030.

The White House released its Offshore Wind Energy Strategy on March 29, which aims to serve as a “comprehensive summary” of the administration’s actions to date, and plans for the future.

Near-term priorities include reducing the cost of fixed-bottom offshore wind from $73/MWh to $51/MWh by the end of the decade. That cost reduction would be aided by optimizing the design of wind turbine design and siting. Streamlining installation, operations, and maintenance strategies could also bring costs down, according to the Department of Energy, which wrote the report.

Meanwhile, the U.S. offshore wind industry still needs to develop a “robust” domestic supply chain in order to meet future demand. DOE plans to publish roadmaps for offshore wind supply chain needs, including ports, manufacturers, and suppliers, to aid in the buildout, while bringing together key stakeholders to take a coordinated approach.

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The number of lease areas available for offshore wind development will also need to “grow considerably” in order to reach the goal.

From there, the Biden administration is looking to boost floating offshore wind research and development to take advantage of waters available for development that are deeper than 60 meters. The U.S. has total offshore wind resources estimated at 4.2 GW, 65% of which would require floating platforms.

Courtesy: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Floating offshore wind energy development is anticipated to take place along the Pacific Coast, Gulf of Maine, Hawaii, and deeper water areas off the entire U.S. coastline.

The administration has called for 15 GW of floating offshore wind capacity in the U.S. by 2035. Today, the floating offshore wind industry remains in a pre-commercial stage and requires further R&D to lower costs, which are more than that of fixed-bottom projects.

More work is also needed to expand coastal infrastructure for floating offshore wind, advance manufacturing practices, and build a domestic supply chain to pave the way for widespread deployment, the administration said.

The U.S. has so far deployed seven offshore wind turbines totaling 42 MW of generating capacity. DOE hopes its strategy will lead to a cost reduction of 70% by 2035.