More About Offshore Wind Research and Development
The U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) funds research nationwide to enable the development and deployment of offshore wind technologies that can capture wind resources off the coasts of the United States and convert that wind into electricity. This robust portfolio of research, development, and demonstration projects will help the industry overcome key barriers to offshore wind development, including the relatively high cost of energy, the mitigation of environmental impacts, the technical challenges of project installation, and grid interconnection.
Offshore wind resources are abundant, strong, and consistent. Data on the technical resource potential suggest there are more than 4,000 gigawatts (GW) of capacity, or 13,500 terawatt hours (TWh) of generation, per year in federal waters of the United States and the Great Lakes. While not all of this resource potential will realistically be developed, the magnitude—approximately 3 times the annual electricity consumption in the United States—represents a substantial opportunity to generate electricity near coastal, high-density population centers.
The federal government has an ambitious goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of new offshore wind energy by 2030, which would support 77,000 jobs, power 10 million homes, and cut 78 million metric tons in carbon emissions. As part of that strategy, the Department of Energy has allocated over $300 million for competitively-selected offshore wind research, development, and demonstration projects.
Wind Energy Technologies Office Projects Map
Floating Offshore Wind Shot
The Floating Offshore Wind Shot is an initiative to help usher in a clean energy future by driving U.S. leadership in floating offshore wind design, development, and manufacturing. It is part of DOE’s Energy Earthshots Initiative to tackle key remaining technical challenges to reaching U.S. climate goals while creating jobs and economic opportunities for U.S. communities.
Market Acceleration
WETO invests in research to accelerate the sustainable development of offshore wind energy. This includes the deployment of offshore wind power and its integration into the nation's grid. This work can include facilitating the sharing of ocean space with other uses, limiting impacts on the offshore environment, and ensuring the feasibility of wind plant construction by studying the nation's available ports, vessels, and supply chain infrastructure.
National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium
WETO is supporting a $41 million national offshore wind R&D consortium to address near-term needs for the development of the U.S. offshore wind industry through wind plant technology advancement, wind resource and physical site characterization, and installation, operations and maintenance, and supply chain technology solutions. In 2018, DOE competitively selected the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority as administrator of the consortium.
Strategy and Planning
On January 12, 2022, DOE released Offshore Wind Energy Strategies, a report that outlines regional and national strategies to accelerate U.S. offshore wind deployment and operation. The report summarizes the current status of offshore wind in the United States, describes challenges to accelerating its deployment, and identifies strategies to secure United States global leadership in the industry.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory led the 30 GW by 2030: A Supply Chain Road Map for Offshore Wind in the United States project to create a road map that identifies challenges and solutions to developing a nationally focused offshore wind energy supply chain that has the potential to manufacture all major components domestically by 2030.
On March 29, 2023, DOE released Advancing Offshore Wind Energy in the United States, U.S. Department of Energy Strategic Contributions Toward 30 Gigawatts and Beyond, a comprehensive summary of DOE’s role in the nationwide effort to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030 and to set the nation on a pathway to 110 GW or more by 2050.
Offshore Wind News
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U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Announce $6.25 million for Aerodynamics Research on Large Wind Turbines -
WETO recently funded the creation of a new comprehensive guide for offshore wind energy on DOE’s WINDExchange website. -
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs offer competitively awarded grants to small businesses to support scientific excellence and technological innovation. -
Funding to collaboratives in Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Virginia will support planning and evaluation of large-scale renewable energy and energy storage projects. -
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS released final rules for the Investment Tax Credit (Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Code). -
DOE's Office of Electricity and WETO plan to issue the REIMAGINE BREAKERS NOFO to support research and development related to high voltage direct current (HVDC) power circuit breakers. -
Fourteen projects will support durable and environmentally responsible U.S. offshore wind energy and marine energy deployments -
$16. 9 million funding available for offshore wind and marine energy research and development. -
The American WAKE experimeNt (AWAKEN) is compiling the world’s largest and most comprehensive dataset on wind energy atmospheric phenomena, detailing how wind and surrounding air particles interact with wind turbines and wind farms.
Offshore Wind Featured Publications
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The annual Offshore Wind Market Report provides detailed information on the U.S. and global offshore wind energy industries to inform policymakers, researchers, and analysts about technology, economic, and market trends. -
Participating federal agencies invested over $950 million in projects that advance the Floating Offshore Wind Shot since the initiative was announced in September 2022. -
A new report explores ways to execute offshore wind energy transmission planning in the Gulf of Mexico. -
Study finds interregional offshore transmission network would support long-term growth of Atlantic offshore wind, action plan identifies immediate steps and extended efforts. -
The Biden-Harris Administration is taking new steps to expand America’s offshore wind supply chain to benefit workers and communities. -
The Offshore Wind Market Report: 2023 Edition provides detailed information on the U.S. and global offshore wind energy industries to inform policymakers, researchers, and analysts about technology, economic, and market trends. -
DOE seeks to build on the expertise, capabilities, and resources across a range of its offices to promote offshore wind energy. This strategy identifies the many opportunities for DOE action, including the many offices that might engage in these efforts. -
Two years of progress to catalyze a new clean energy industry, deliver for workers and communities, and protect biodiversity and ocean co-use. -
First-of-its-kind study that examines future U.S. offshore wind workforce growth and identifies future workforce development needs. -
White House launches floating offshore wind initiatives to deploy 15 GW, power 5 million homes, and lower costs by 70% for goal of 30 GW by 2035. -
Study evaluates how the U.S. supply chain can evolve to support the national offshore wind target and position the industry for sustainable growth. -
Learn about how the Floating Offshore Wind Shot plans to accelerate breakthroughs for more abundant, affordable, and reliable clean energy solutions. -
Driven by falling offshore wind prices, federal action, & state-level commitments, the U.S. offshore wind pipeline grew 13% over the previous year, with 40,083 MW now in various stages of development. -
Governors, labor leaders, and private companies convene to boost offshore wind supply chains, lower energy costs, and support manufacturing jobs.
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Report summarizes the current status of offshore wind and identifies strategies to support the Administration’s goals for offshore wind deployment. -
In February 2022, DOE released a series of 13 reports on American manufacturing supply chains, reviewing both the obstacles to a reliable supply of key materials and opportunities for improvement. -
White House Fact Sheet: Biden Administration Jumpstarts Offshore Wind Energy Projects to Create JobsInterior, Energy, Commerce, & Transportation Departments Announce New Leasing, Funding, & Development Goals to Accelerate Offshore Wind Energy & Jobs. -
New report quantifies offshore wind’s impact on a future northeast power system. -
Summary results for the RFI on National Offshore Wind Energy R&D test facilities. -
This study finds that the "market value" of offshore wind generally exceeds that of land-based wind in the U.S. east coast region. -
This report uses the offshore wind Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) model and provides four case studies of potential offshore wind deployment scenarios in different regions of the United States: the Southeast, the Great Lakes, the Gulf Coa...
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This report quantifies Alaska's unique offshore wind resource capacity.
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