Global offshore wind energy looks to scale

[kristopher]

Global offshore wind energy looks to scale
Friday, 28 March 2008

The global market for offshore wind energy has reached a critical juncture in its path toward large-scale deployment, according to a new market study by Emerging Energy Research.
While offshore wind has the potential to reach 40 GW by 2020, and cumulative investment of US$ 120 billion, according to EER's study, supply challenges and escalating development costs present short-term obstacles. Offshore development activity will continue to be concentrated in Europe, with this region accounting for over 70% of the total global installed base through the period, according to EER. Nonetheless, starting in 2010 the industry will begin to transition toward more geographically diverse growth, with operational projects expected in 11 European markets and five markets in North America and Asia by 2020.

http://www.windtech-international.com/content/view/1696/1/

[amerikat]

1. The US has more so much coastline......

we should lead the world in off shore wind farms.

[kristopher]

2. WE'll be doing our share.

The midAtlantic coastal zone is relatively shallow out nearly 200 miles and is a great place to begin. We still need to develop cost effective deepwater anchoring since shallow coastal waters are the exception rather than the norm.

We've been slowed down dramatically by an administration that has dragged its heels in preparing a set of guidelines for the use of the public lands (beyond 3 miles is a common under control of the Federal Govt.) We are approaching the end of that process. Soon, developers will have a known process for building an offshore windfarm instead of the raging regulatory uncertainty that now exists.

After that we are faced with developing the construction, transportation and installation infrastructure. The rotors for offshore turbines are so large they can only be transported by ship. We also need specialized ships to install the turbines. It is going to take a couple of years of ramp up production to meet the demand that is already existing. We expect that demand to increase significantly as the US moves into the mandatory carbon pricing camp with the rest of the world.