US 'well-positioned' to be a leader in global floating wind boom: BOEM chief
Supply chain challenges remain for deepwater projects but 'mature industrial base and and highly trained workforce' present clear opportunity in sector, says Amanda Lefton
The global floating wind industry though on the brink of international industrialisation is still in its “early” stages, providing the US has a clear opportunity to move swiftly to the front of the sector pack, in the view of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) director Amanda Lefton.
Speaking to attendees at the Afloat conference at the University of Maine, Lefton, who took over the top job at BOEM earlier this year, said: “Floating wind technology is in its infancy,” contrasting the less than 100MW of deepwater projects now in operation to the almost 33GW of bottom-fixed offshore wind industry currently producing power.
As the US ramps up to build tens of gigawatts of conventional offshore wind plant in waters from the current 42MW installed, she said, with “no clear dominance in floating, the US has the chance to become a leader in this early field”.
According to National Renewable Laboratory calculations, some 58% of the US total offshore wind resources lie in deep waters, including in the Pacific and farther out to sea in the Atlantic, with floating wind technology offering the potential to “help us to continue moving forward to reach new areas once thought unattainable, opening up new opportunities for offshore wind in deep waters,” said Lefton.
Lefton noted that floating wind continues to face technical bottlenecks that have so far lead to uncompetitive cost structures, with the Department of Energy’s recently published Offshore Wind Market Report citing a levellised cost of energy in the US for bottom-fixed wind averaging $95/MWh, and for floating $160/MWh.
The US’ extensive maritime and industrial capacity leave it “well-positioned” to excel in floating wind’s development, enabling it to leverage existing infrastructure to serve the industry, including “a mature industrial base and extensive manufacturing experience, and a highly trained workforce”, she said.
Lefton urged government and industry collaboration to invest in floating wind research and development: “To seize this opportunity, we need to develop a robust domestic supply chain and secure investment in floating wind technology.”
“BOEM and our partners in the state of Maine have an important opportunity to work together and find advanced solutions” that ensure that the industry continues to grow in to ensure that this technology is developed in a manner that's least impact to the environment and considers our maritime and commercial fishing industry.
Aqua Ventus 1, a planned 11MW pilot unit based on UMaine’s innovative VolturnUS hull design – a concept based modular concrete bridge technology, designed to be made by locally available fabricators. A part-scale version of the VolturnUS became first and only grid-connected floating wind unit off the US when it was installed in 2013.