DeepSummary
This podcast episode covers the current state and future potential of offshore wind energy in the United States. Patrick Gilman, a program manager at the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Energy Technologies Office, provides expert insights on the growth of the offshore wind industry globally and in the U.S. He discusses the significant increase in offshore wind project pipelines, with the U.S. reaching over 40 gigawatts in 2021.
Gilman explains that while the U.S. has only a small installed offshore wind capacity currently, several large-scale projects are expected to come online in the next few years, potentially reaching around 1 gigawatt by 2024. The U.S. government has set a target of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, which could lead to over 100 gigawatts by 2050, supplying about 5% of the nation's electricity.
Beyond electricity generation, the development of offshore wind offers various benefits, including job creation, supply chain investments, port revitalization, and potential for producing hydrogen for decarbonizing sectors like transportation and industry. Gilman highlights the closing window for U.S. leadership in floating offshore wind technology as other countries ramp up their ambitions.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The offshore wind industry is rapidly growing globally, with the U.S. project pipeline reaching over 40 gigawatts in 2021.
- The U.S. has set a target of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, which could lead to over 100 gigawatts by 2050, providing a significant portion of the nation's electricity.
- Offshore wind development offers various benefits beyond electricity generation, including job creation, supply chain investments, port revitalization, and potential for producing hydrogen for decarbonizing other sectors.
- The U.S. has a closing window of opportunity to establish leadership in floating offshore wind technology, which is necessary to access the majority of the country's offshore wind resources.
- Densely populated coastal states with limited land availability can benefit significantly from offshore wind as a source of renewable energy.
- Achieving the offshore wind targets will require research, development, and collaboration to address challenges, particularly related to floating offshore wind technology for large-scale projects.
- Offshore wind can contribute to the decarbonization of maritime and other sectors through the production of hydrogen for zero-carbon transportation fuels and industrial processes.
- The growth of the offshore wind industry is expected to drive investments in port facilities, vessel construction, and other infrastructure to support the deployment and operation of offshore wind projects.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “If we achieve the 30 gigawatt target by 2030, that means more than $12 billion a year in offshore wind project investments. And then those investments, in turn, can result in tens of thousands of jobs in a variety of occupations, which piece of analysis we did in support of the 30 gigawatt target showed would be paying at or above median wages across the country, and then induce tens of thousands more jobs in communities where those offshore wind workers would live and work.“ by Patrick Gilman
- “I think there's also a significant potential role for offshore wind to play in maritime and economy wide, sorry, decarbonization through production of hydrogen for zero carbon transportation fuels or industrial processes.“ by Patrick Gilman
- “We know that the way that floating offshore wind substructures moorings, we know that the way that they're done now in the smaller, pre commercial projects that we've seen are not the way that it's likely to be done when we get up to 1000 megawatt plus projects. There's an opportunity for us now, through research and development, through engagement and partnerships with the industry, through policy development with the states, to figure out how we get ahead or catch up with, get to a point where we have the technology here in the United States to do that serial manufacturing of offshore wind substructures to get through the challenges associated with floating offshore wind.“ by Patrick Gilman
- “If you're thinking about Massachusetts, which has one of the most ambitious goals for offshore wind deployment, given the population density and land constraints at a state like that, there's just not a lot of room for gigawatt scale wind or solar deployment on land.“ by Patrick Gilman
- “And then finally, for us at DOE in particular, we see that there's a window which is closing for us leadership in floating offshore wind, which is far more nascent than fixed bottom offshore wind, and which we will need in order to access the majority of the us offshore wind resource, and all of the resource effectively in the Pacific, in places like California, Oregon and Hawaii.“ by Patrick Gilman
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Episode Information
The Energy Transition Show with Chris Nelder
XE Network
8/17/22