The European Wind Energy Association is targeting 40 gigawatts of offshore wind in the European Union by 2020 and says eventually offshore wind can provide 10% of Europe's power.
WEAs are areas being considered by state-federal government offshore wind task forces and large public-private wind power consortiums like the Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy Consortium.
There are already a dozen offshore wind farms, and nine European countries pledged this week to build a giant offshore wind grid.
Under the National Offshore Wind Strategy, the U.S. Department of Energy wants to have 10, 000 megawatts of offshore wind generating capacity by 2020 and 54, 000 by 2030.
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It builds biomass power plants, huge wind turbines for offshore wind farms and, as of today, concentrated solar thermal power plants.
With this project as a catalyst, the offshore wind industry in Lake Erie could generate 8, 000 jobs over the next 20 years, leading to 5, 000 MW of offshore wind energy in the lake by 2030.
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The North Carolina Offshore Wind Coalition, a lobbying outfit for the wind industry and local wind advocates, has put legislation into play in the North Carolina legislature that would likely result in the development of a whopping 2.5 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2027.
In response the Obama administration may approve more projects like Cape Wind, the controversial offshore wind energy project in Massachusetts.
This could be possible as there is tremendous potential for economies of scale, both in terms of mass production, which reduces the cost of each turbine, and in terms of the construction and management of vast wind farms offshore where there are few limits on available acreages.
And it could lead to offshore wind farms eventually being located many miles offshore, away from areas where they cause disruption, Ms Gjorv added.
Over the next year or two, offshore wind power pioneers will begin rolling out a fleet of 5 to 8 megawatt wind turbines for the coming wave of offshore developments.
The Cape Wind project is the most developed of any proposals to build wind facilities on the OCS, but a number of other offshore wind power proposals are also in the works.
"This FAA approval allows Cape Wind to move forward and jump-start the new American industry in offshore wind power that will help light up the East Coast, " Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rogers told CNN.
The EIA estimates onshore wind power will be 80% more expensive than conventional natural gas power, offshore wind power will be 142% more expensive than natural gas, solar thermal power will be 208% more expensive than natural gas, and solar photovoltaic will be 377% more expensive than natural gas.
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To help compensate for this shortfall, the country plans to create a 50 MW offshore wind farm in the Baltic Sea, and expand capacity to 10, 000 MW offshore by 2020.
As I noted in my February 24 column, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that for new power-generating facilities entering service in 2016, onshore wind power will be 49% more expensive than conventional coal over the lifetime of the respective facilities, offshore wind will be 90% more expensive than coal, solar thermal will be 155% more expensive than coal, and solar photovoltaic will be 295% more expensive than coal.
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It will increase the amount of energy generated from offshore wind in the UK by one third to 1, 314MW. Opened in September, the Thanet wind-farm was built by the Swedish Vattenfall energy company, and increases the number of large-scale offshore British turbines to 436, to be compared with 2, 640 based on land.
The company is continuing to pursue contracts in the offshore oil and gas industries - and also in wind power generation from offshore sites.
ON, the Rampion offshore wind farm could create enough electricity to power up to 450, 000 homes.
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Environmental campaigners have raised concerns that an offshore wind farm could damage the South Downs.
The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult centre will focus on offshore wind, tidal and wave power.
But he expected they could start appearing in offshore wind turbines within 5-10 years.
If the "right place" for wind power is offshore, that will multiply the price.
New nuclear plants have not even been started yet, while offshore wind is running behind schedule.
Nonetheless, more than 1, 000 MW of offshore wind capacity was installed in 2010, mostly in Western Europe.
Siemens said the factory would employ 700 people making blades and turbine units for offshore wind farms.
Ministers have instead placed their faith in offshore wind farms, but waterproofing windmills makes them more expensive.
He said the Scottish government would invest the cash in the firm's Hunterston offshore wind turbine test facility.
Installed on the ocean floor, tidal machines also handily dodge the aesthetic concerns posed by offshore wind turbines.
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