1) Press release -- Department-Wide Strategy Will Tap America’s Vast Potential of Offshore Wind Energy to Power Millions of Homes and Businesses, Support Thousands of Jobs, and Ensure the Nation’s Clean Energy Future
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the release of its Offshore Wind Energy Strategy, a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive summary of the Department’s efforts to meet President Biden’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030 and set the nation on a pathway to 110 GW or more by 2050. Deploying 30 GW of offshore wind would provide enough power for 10 million homes, support 77,000 jobs, and spur $12 billion per year in direct private investment. The Department-wide strategy outlines how DOE will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approach to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind in support of achieving a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035.
“The transformative potential of offshore wind energy is critical to achieving President Biden’s bold clean energy goals,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “As our Offshore Wind Energy Strategy shows, we’re leveraging all resources across our department to harness this clean and reliable American energy source, which will create tens of thousands of good-paying, union jobs and revitalize coastal communities.”
Offshore wind is rapidly growing around the world, becoming a central part of international decarbonization and a vital part of coastal economies, and the domestic potential to harness offshore wind is now emerging. There are currently 40 GW of offshore wind in various stages of development, which suggests the potential for substantial expansion. The strategy released today categorizes DOE’s offshore wind efforts into four pillars:
-- NOW: Lower costs from $73 per megawatt-hour (MWh) to $51 per MWh by 2030, develop a domestic supply chain, and inform sustainable, just deployment of fixed-bottom offshore wind.
-- FORWARD: Achieve the Floating Offshore Wind Shot goal of reducing cost by over 70% to $45/MWh by 2035, establish U.S. leadership in floating offshore wind design and manufacturing, and inform sustainable, just deployment of floating offshore wind.
-- CONNECT: Enable reliable and resilient transmission solutions for large-scale offshore wind deployment.
-- TRANSFORM: Expand offshore wind co-generation technologies for widespread electrification and decarbonization.
Collectively these four pillars seek to support offshore wind development in a manner that is economic, just, and environmentally sustainable. For decades, DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) investments in research and development have supported the technological advances that helped commercialize wind energy production in the United States. Additionally, the Department’s work spans technical assistance, community engagement, demonstration projects, transmission planning, loan guarantees, manufacturing research, supply chain and workforce development, environmental research and more.
The DOE Offshore Wind Strategy helps connect work happening at WETO and across 15 other DOE offices with specific roles in achieving the Biden-Harris Administration’s offshore wind goals and continuing America’s transition to a clean energy economy.
https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-releases-strategy-accelerate-and-expand-domestic-offshore-wind-deployment
2) DOE Strategy to Advance Offshore Wind Energy in the United States
On March 29, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (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 setting the nation on a pathway to 110 GW or more by 2050.
This Strategy also supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals to deploy 15 GW of floating offshore wind and achieve a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035. . . .
The Strategy divides DOE’s offshore wind efforts into four pillars:
Near-Term Offshore Wind (NOW)
-- Reduce the cost of fixed-bottom offshore wind to $51/megawatt-hour (MWh) by 2030.
-- Support the development of a robust domestic offshore wind supply chain to install and operate more than 30 GW of fixed-bottom offshore wind.
-- Inform just, sustainable, and timely development of fixed-bottom offshore wind.
Floating OffshoRe Wind Accelerated Research and Development (FORWARD)
-- Achieve the Floating Offshore Wind Shot goal of reducing the cost of floating offshore wind energy in deep waters far from shore to $45/MWh by 2035.
-- Support the development of a domestic supply chain to facilitate deployment of 15 GW of floating offshore wind by 2035.
-- Inform just, sustainable, and timely development of floating offshore wind energy in deep waters.
CONNECT
-- Coordinate and inform planning for a transmission system that integrates offshore wind energy with the U.S. electricity grid.
-- Support technology innovation to increase offshore grid reliability, resilience, and interoperability.
-- Support expansion of reliable and resilient grid infrastructure.
TRANSFORM
-- Promote storage and wind-to-fuel technologies from offshore wind energy.
-- Support the development of offshore wind energy hubs.
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 the focus areas of this strategy.
These areas include R&D to lower costs; efforts to promote just, sustainable, and timely deployment; transmission research and coordination; stakeholder engagement; supply chain development; and many other key facets of offshore wind energy deployment. Each office contributes to one or more critical areas of need. . . .
Strategy:
https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/advancing-offshore-wind-energy-full-report.pdf
https://www.energy.gov/eere/us-department-energys-strategy-advance-offshore-wind-energy-united-states
3) FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Continues to Advance American Offshore Wind Opportunities -- White House [press release]
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/29/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-continues-to-advance-american-offshore-wind-opportunities/