Status of Offshore Wind Energy Projects, Policies and Programs in the United States

摘要

There are currently no offshore wind energy projects installed in the United States, however, 10 projects ranging from 10 megawatts (MW) to 450 MW and totaling over 1800 MW in rated capacity have been proposed. U.S. policies regarding offshore development and the nascent regulatory approval process are struggling to catch to these commercial interests, and several prospective developers are waiting while government agencies build an approval and management framework. This paper provides the status of the offshore project proposals and describes strategic issues faced by the U.S. industry, such as the inconsistency of the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC), climate change initiatives, transmission constraints, and the evolving permitting requirements between state and federal waters.