The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) has joined the US Department of Energy (DOE) and GE to unveil ‘A Framework for Offshore Wind Energy Development in the United States’, an agenda aimed at tapping abundant offshore winds, especially over deep waters. The Framework, developed over the past year, identifies the technical, environmental, economic and regulatory needs required for the responsible development of offshore wind energy potential in the USA, as well as strategies for addressing them. The US DOE estimates that more than 900GW of wind generation capacity, an amount roughly equivalent to the total current installed US electrical capacity, exists within 50 miles off US coasts. The winds over deep waters off the New England coast are among the strongest anywhere in the USA. The Framework is intended to help the USA develop its offshore wind energy industry through a highly collaborative, multi-sector approach. A major goal of this collaborative effort is to bring government, industry and universities together to spur innovation in wind energy technologies. The document also recognises the importance of considering this offshore energy source in the context of emerging national ocean conservation and management priorities.
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