Full Title: 2035 and Beyond: Offshore Wind Policy Paper
Author(s): Michael O’Boyle, Michelle Solomon, David Wooley, and Jamie Matos
Publisher(s): Energy Innovation
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Expanding the United States’ offshore wind industry will create vast benefits. Offshore wind could, by 2050, provide 10 to 25 percent of national electricity, create nearly 400,000 jobs, reinvigorate port communities, diversify our power sources, and shrink the area needed for other land-based power sources without significantly increasing wholesale electricity costs, as detailed by 2035 and Beyond: Abundant, Affordable Offshore Wind Can Accelerate Our Clean Electricity Future.
But supplying 10 to 25 percent of the nation’s electricity generation in 2050 will be no easy feat—it will require 250 to 750 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind. However, even the high end of this range is feasible with the right policy support. For example, a commitment to between 400 and 750 GW would bring the U.S. roughly on pace with existing European commitments.
To attain these benefits, new policies and significant public and private investments are needed across the supply chain. Mass deployment of offshore wind turbines faces unique challenges, including availability of ports, ships, and turbine components. Challenges also include limited transmission interconnection points and identification of sites for turbines, ports, and manufacturing facilities.
This policy companion to the technical report offers the federal government, states, public utility commissions, grid operators, and industry players recommendations for policies to ensure we can achieve the speed and scale we need from offshore wind to reach a stable climate future.