Favorable Winds for Maritime
Now that the United States finally can envision steady winds blowing from the Atlantic Seaboard due to a pipeline of offshore wind farms on the horizon, the maritime industry can finally step up and earn some of the benefits. This includes shipbuilding, port construction, and worker training. This article reviews the key developments and forecasts the growth in maritime jobs.
The federal and state governments share responsibility for developing offshore wind farms and bringing the wind into the power grid and, ultimately, to consumers.
This shared responsibility arises from the fact that the federal government, through the secretary of the interior, leases areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to developers, and the states are responsible for setting terms for the wind to be brought into the state power grids and ultimately sold to consumers. Winds blow the strongest farther from shore — hence the rush to lease Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) on the OCS. These locations also have the advantage of the turbines not being seen by local beachgoers.
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“Favorable Winds for Maritime,” by Joan M. Bondareff was published in the June 2019 edition of Maritime Reporter. Reprinted with permission.
This article was reprinted in Marine Technology News and in Coastal News Today on July 9, 2019.