DOE Looks to the Future of Offshore Wind

Turning the page on the largely successful 2011 joint offshore wind strategy developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Program is now reaching ahead to develop a new offshore wind strategy that builds on the original. The objectives of the 2011 strategy were to reduce both the cost of offshore wind energy and the associated timelines for deployment. To achieve these objectives, DOE funded 42 research and development projects across 20 states to advance wind turbine design tools and hardware, improve information about U.S. offshore wind resources, and accelerate the deployment of offshore wind by reducing market barriers such as supply chain development, transmission, and infrastructure. In 2012, DOE launched the Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration Projects that led to a down-selection of three projects for additional federal funding in 2014. 

In addition to the advanced technology that will be employed by these demonstration projects, which includes floating foundations, 4-megawatt+ wind turbines, and advanced

controls systems, these installations will be highly instrumented for measuring meteorological ocean conditions, structural loads, power production, and environmental data. The projects will collect data for 5 years after completion, which will be made publicly available for the benefit of the U.S. offshore wind industry.

As DOE wraps up the final projects from the 2011 strategy, the Wind Program is looking ahead toward leading a course that integrates and begins to implement the strategies outlined by the roadmap in its newly published Wind Vision Report. Some strategies currently under consideration include:

• Collecting and analyzing data to characterize offshore wind resources and external design conditions for all coastal regions of the United States, and to validate forecasting and design tools and models at heights at which offshore turbines operate
• Developing next-generation wind plant technologies for rotors, controls, drivetrains, towers, and offshore foundations for continued improvements in wind plant performance and scale-up of turbine technology
• Establishing manufacturing facilities, a supply chain, and infrastructure for the domestic offshore wind industry
• Developing optimized subsea grid delivery systems and evaluating the integration of offshore wind under multiple arrangements to increase utility confidence in offshore wind.

As part of the new offshore wind strategy, DOE issued a Request for Information (RFI) last May that solicited feedback from a wide range of stakeholders within the offshore wind community. The purpose of the RFI was to gain a better understanding of the value of technology advancement, market barrier removal, and cross-cutting activities, and the broader strategic view of the Wind and Water Power Technology Office’s research and development portfolio. Results from the RFI will be presented and discussed at the upcoming workshop to be held in conjunction with the American Wind Energy Associations’ Offshore WINDPOWER Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, September 29–30, 2015.

Learn more about DOE’s offshore wind research and development efforts.