New consortium established to advance offshore win technology

The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium is developing an initiative to advance offshore wind technology and combat climate change.

The consortium’s Research and Development Roadmap sets a long-term vision for innovative offshore wind technology development in the United States, identifying key priorities for establishing the industry as a national leading clean energy sector.

“We were excited to convene the first official meeting of the Consortium Board of Directors on October 18, 2018, at which time we ratified our first R&D Roadmap. This was a critical milestone in the development and implementation of the Consortium, allowing us now to clearly focus on our key priorities for advancing the offshore wind industry in the US,” Consortium Chairman of the Board Robert Catell said. Catell is also the chairman of the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC), an NYS Center of Excellence located at Stony Brook University.

The consortium is the first federally funded public-private partnership focused on advancing research and development to accelerate the offshore wind industry in the United States. It is focused on expanding upon the work New York State’ has done in developing a responsible and cost-effective way to develop a U.S. offshore wind industry.

“The Roadmap on offshore wind technology will help to grow the industry and advance our aggressive clean energy goals,” NY State Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “The Roadmap will serve as a strategic guide to further research and development of offshore wind technology – driving innovation, creating new economic opportunities, and helping to combat climate change.”

The consortium, headquartered at the AERTC, will support and promote activities which target barriers that slow the adoption of offshore wind technologies. It will also support U.S-based manufacturing and offshore wind supply chain and infrastructure. Public and private partners have been enlisted to support consortium initiatives, which are focused on driving further cost reductions for offshore wind development.

Specifically, they will focus on offshore wind plant technology advancement; offshore wind power resource and physical site characterization; installation, operations and maintenance; and the supply chain.