DOE releases new study about offshore wind energy

Study highlights the economic prospects of offshore wind power systems

The U.S. Department of Energy has released its new National Offshore Wind Energy Grid Interconnection study. The study highlights the potential that offshore wind power systems have to save the country money. The U.S. has been focusing more heavily on renewable energy in recent months due to economic and environmental reasons. In terms of money, clean technologies and new forms of energy are quiet expensive, but the money they can help the country save in the future is becoming an attractive prospect.

54 GW of offshore wind capacity could save the US $7.68 billion annually

According to the study, installing 54 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity would save the U.S. $7.68 billion every year. The study is meant to examine the technical potential for offshore wind power becoming a major energy component of the U.S. The study aims to identify certain barriers that exist in the country's market. These barriers are slowing the adoption of wind power and making it more difficult for offshore wind projects to take form.

Offshore wind power has yet to win universal support

The U.S. has access to promising offshore wind energy resources, but has done relatively little to tap into these resources in any significant way. Much of the country's focus has been on onshore projects that also have a significant degree of economic potential. Offshore projects could, potentially, produce more electrical power and could become a more cost effective way of producing energy in the near future.

Cost of renewable energy projects is linked to slow adoption of clean power

There are many challenges facing the offshore wind power sector, one of the greatest of which is cost. Wind turbines are notoriously expensive, and the costs of these energy systems grows as they are designed to be used at sea. Building an offshore wind farm is a costly endeavor and relatively few energy developers have the means to make such projects become a reality. As clean technology becomes more advanced, however, it is also becoming less expensive, which is a boon for renewable energy projects of all kinds.