As of June 2018, the offshore wind project development pipeline in the United States includes 25,464MW of planned generating capacity, with projects totalling 2,000MW expected to commence commercial operation by 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
NREL shared this information as it presented its 2017 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Update, which complements the 2016 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Report.
Incorporating data on the global fleet of planned and operating projects at the end of 2017, the update also emphasizes recent U.S. developments through mid-2018.
In 2017, new state-level commitments, advances in permitting and energy offtake processes, and strategic research investments buoyed the U.S. offshore wind market, NREL said.
Walt Musial , principal engineer in charge of offshore wind research at NREL and a contributing author of the study, said: “ While many factors impact the U.S. offshore wind market surge, state commitments to adopt offshore wind deployment targets and their favorable procurement policies have accelerated our nation’s offshore wind market activity, primarily along the Atlantic Coast.”
“With great strides seen along the Atlantic Coast, NREL continues to be a key supporter to the U.S. offshore wind industry as it aims to expand beyond the northeastern United States and into the Great Lakes, the Southeast, the Gulf of Mexico, the deep waters off the Pacific, and further into the Atlantic,” Musial said.