Having already set a target of 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030, the Biden administration has set its sights on 15 GW of floating wind by 2035 (source: White House)
The Biden administration has unveiled a raft of measures that aim to make floating wind a big part of America’s energy mix and open up new areas for offshore wind on the West and East coasts
Since taking office, the Biden administration has set a goal of deploying 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. Now it is also targeting a rapid ramp up in floating wind capacity.
On 15 September 2022, White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced that the administration will advance lease areas in deep water in order to deploy 15 GW of floating wind capacity by 2035, adding significantly to the ‘30 by 2030’ goal, which will be largely met using fixed-bottom technology.
In addition, the administration has launched a new ‘Floating Offshore Wind Shot’ to reduce the cost of floating wind by 70%. Through the ‘Energy Earthshot’ programme, the administration will use the Floating Offshore Wind Shot to accelerate breakthroughs in engineering, manufacturing and other innovation areas in order to bring down the cost of floating wind to US$45 MWh by 2035.
Climate Advisor McCarthy, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland also announced a number of research and development initiatives to support the new goals, including a prize for floating offshore wind platform technology; initiatives funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to develop modelling tools for project design and to analyse port needs; and other funding for research, development, and demonstration efforts.
The Floating Offshore Wind Shot will be led by the Departments of Energy, Department of Interior, and Departments of Commerce, and Transportation. Together, the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation will also collaborate on research and workforce development in support of the Floating Offshore Wind Shot.
In a statement, the White House said, “Bringing floating offshore wind technology to scale will unlock new opportunities for offshore wind power off the coasts of California and Oregon, in the Gulf of Maine, and beyond. Tapping into these resources will expand clean American energy supplies and contribute significantly to achieving climate goals set by the President and Governors across the country.”
As highlighted by OWJ, the aim of the FLoating Offshore Wind ReadINess (FLOWIN) Prize is to optimize floating platform technology and get it ready for domestic manufacturing and commercialization.
Another initiative, the Floating Offshore Wind Array Design Project, is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and used to develop a set of modelling tools to help industry and researchers design commercial-scale floating offshore winds in US waters, including anchors, mooring lines and subsea power cables.
A West Coast Ports Analysis led by the Department of Energy, also funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will be used to address infrastructure challenges, outlining a network of West Coast ports and upgrades needed to deploy commercial-scale floating offshore wind.
A West Coast Transmission Analysis, also led by the Department of Energy, will review existing transmission studies and identify research gaps related to offshore wind integration in California, Oregon, and Washington. This work will help inform future analysis efforts that will help transmission planning and buildout.
The Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will announce US$31M in funding for phase two of the Aerodynamic Turbines, Lighter and Afloat, with Nautical Technologies and Integrated Servo-control (ATLANTIS) programme. This programme focuses on novel forms of systems engineering for floating wind, in order to drive down costs. This second phase of the ATLANTIS programme will focus on experimental testing in ocean, lake, and tank and tunnel environments to further develop technology for floating wind turbines.
Together, the Department of Energy and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management are responsible for an Environmental Research Award with US$1.6M to support coexistence of floating offshore wind with bats on the West Coast of the US.
Last but not least, in the Ocean Co-Use and Transmission Research Awards, the National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium, a partnership established with funding from Department of Energy and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, five projects totalling US$3.5M will be used to ensure coexistence with marine mammals and fishing and to support offshore wind transmission for fixed-bottom and floating technology.
Responding to the announcement, American Clean Power chief executive Heather Zichal said the announcement by the Biden administration was “a game changer.”
Ms Zichal said, “These actions will create the project pipeline necessary to spark investment in a new domestic supply chain and allow the US to lead in this emerging technology. Paired with the Inflation Reduction Act, these targets will dramatically reduce costs for offshore wind development, allowing deployment.
“California and Oregon have some of the best wind resources in the world, and floating wind is crucial to harnessing these resources. Innovation in floating wind turbines will make offshore wind more efficient, grow a more robust American supply chain, and bring down the cost of energy for consumers. It will enable offshore wind developers to compete alongside other energy sources at a time when we must use every available clean energy resource to decarbonize our grid and enhance energy security and grid reliability.”
Trade group Offshore Wind California said, “This is great news for California and the nation. California, and the US as a whole, has an opportunity to establish global leadership by going big on floating offshore wind – if we seize the moment.
“The Golden State has already committed to developing floating offshore wind at scale with planning goals of up to 5 GW by 2030 and 25 GW by 2045, as approved last month. Now the Biden administration is giving a huge boost to these efforts by setting a national floating offshore wind goal and seeking to bring costs down by more than 70% by 2035.
“California, with its deep West Coast waters, is poised to be the first state to put steel in the water at scale for floating wind. But there are also deep waters in Oregon, Washington state, the Gulf of Maine and further offshore in the mid-Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
“Taking the lead on floating wind will mean many gigawatts of clean power, helping to meet our climate goals, and tens of thousands of jobs for California and US workers. Today’s announcement of the federal Floating Offshore Wind Shot initiative promises to spread supply chain jobs across the US and make this clean energy technology even more affordable for electricity ratepayers.”
