The United States Energy Department recently announced the country's first grid-connected offshore floating wind turbine prototype off the coast of Castine, Maine.
Led by the University of Maine, the project is also claimed to represent the first concrete-composite floating platform wind turbine to be deployed in the world.
"Developing America's vast renewable energy resources is an important part of the Energy Department's all-of-the-above strategy to pave the way to a cleaner and more diverse domestic energy portfolio," said Jose Zayas, director of the Energy Department's Wind and Water Power Technologies Office.
"The Castine offshore wind project represents a critical investment in this fast-growing global industry, helping to bring tremendous untapped energy resources to market and create new jobs across the country."
Offshore wind represents a large, untapped energy resource for the United States, offering over 4,000 gigawatts of domestic energy potential – four times the nation's current total generation capacity.
According to a recent report commissioned by the Energy Department, a US offshore wind industry that takes advantage of this abundant domestic resource could support up to 200,000 manufacturing, construction, operation and supply chain jobs across the country, driving over USD70 billion in annual investments by 2030 and creating a demand for specialist offshore wind support vessels.
In Maine, as with many other areas off US coasts, the bulk of the energy resource lies in deeper waters where conventional turbine technology is not practical. Innovative floating offshore wind turbines, like the one recently launched, will open up new economic and energy opportunities.
With the support of a USD12 million Energy Department investment over five years, University of Maine and project partners conducted extensive design, engineering and testing of floating offshore wind turbines, followed by the construction and deployment of the 'VolturnUS' prototype.
In related developments, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently announced that a lease sale/auction will be held in July for a Wind Energy Area (WEA), situated offshore from the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The auction represents the first competitive lease sale for renewable energy on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
