Full Title: Offshore Wind Energy Guide
Author(s): U.S. Department of Energy
Publisher(s): U.S. Department of Energy
Publication Date: December 22, 2024
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
The advantages of offshore wind extend far beyond it being a clean energy resource. Coastline states and communities are home to a significant portion of the population; about 81% of the U.S. population lives in states adjacent to the coast (including the Great Lakes), and 40% of the U.S. population lives in coastline counties (i.e., counties adjacent to the ocean or the Great Lakes). Furthermore, a significant amount of electricity demand—nearly 80%—comes from coastal areas and the Great Lakes. Offshore wind energy projects have the potential to serve those communities by generating reliable, clean electricity.
Additionally, offshore wind resources are typically stronger, more abundant, and more consistent than those onshore. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates that the technical resource potential for offshore wind energy in the United States is more than 4,200 GW of capacity, or 13,500 terawatt-hours per year of generation, which is about three times the amount of electricity consumed annually in the United States.
Offshore wind energy projects also generate unique economic opportunities through lease revenues, tax payments, community benefit agreements, job creation, and more. Such activities can benefit states, local communities, and businesses and workforces that provide project support and services. Furthermore, the development of a domestic supply chain for offshore wind energy can revitalize ports and provide additional workforce and business opportunities.
As climate change continues to affect the world, coastal communities are facing impacts such as sea level rise, flooding, and extreme storms. Generating electricity with renewable energy resources like offshore wind can help limit those impacts by reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Offshore wind energy development may also be accompanied by investments in transmission infrastructure upgrades, grid resiliency, coastal resiliency, port and waterfront infrastructure upgrades, marine ecosystem protection, and other priorities that can help coastal communities, and the United States as a whole, adapt to climate change.