Wind Power: DOE, Interior Give Push To Offshore Projects

摘要

The departments of Energy and the Interior plan to put areas in the Atlantic on a fast track for wind-power projects, spending $50 million over five years in offshore infrastructure and supply chains. DOE wants to develop 10 GW of offshore wind power by 2020. But because of high development costs and lengthy permitting, no offshore U.S. wind farms are yet under construction. Under a plan announced on Feb. 7, DOE and D0I aim to trim those costs by funding research and development in areas such as ports, marine systems engineering and turbine design. Interior also says it will speed permitting off the Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia coasts, a zone in which a planned Google-backed transmission line would link proposed wind farms.