Government Energy Policy, Business and Technology

One if by Land, Two if by Sea — U.S. Offshore Wind Power Has Arrived

Renewable Energy World: Five wind turbines in the Deepwater Wind project off Block Island, Rhode Island, installed this summer, mark the first "steel in the water" for U.S. offshore wind power. The 30 MW wind farm is set to be operational this fall and power 17,000 homes. Photo: U.S. Dept. of Energy.

2016 will be remembered as “the year U.S. offshore wind arrived,” as Block Island Wind Farm, a 5-turbine 30 MW offshore-wind project, arose off Rhode Island’s coast this summer and will soon power the grid. Relatively modest in scale, this wind farm's christening carried significance greater than its size. The first "steel in the water" for U.S. offshore wind, it was proof of the promise this abundant home-grown renewable resource holds to light boardwalks and boardrooms up and down the Eastern seaboard.

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