Capacity Density Considerations for Offshore Wind Plants in the United States

Technical Report · Thu Dec 21 04:00:00 EST 2023

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2274825· OSTI ID:2274825

Mulas Hernando, Daniel ^[1]; Musial, Walt ^[1]; Duffy, Patrick ^[1]; Shields, Matt ^[1]

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1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

The United States is a rapidly emerging market for offshore wind energy, with a project pipeline estimated at over 52 GW as of May 31, 2023 (Musial et al. 2023). The capacity density, measured in megawatts per square kilometer (MW/km²), is a crucial parameter for estimating the magnitude of the development pipeline and the nameplate potential of existing lease areas. The offshore wind energy industry is comprised of diversity of participants, including developers, governmental bodies, investors, environmental advocacy groups, and researchers. These various stakeholders use capacity density in different ways as a key metric for evaluating the potential of individual offshore wind lease area or even a section of ocean space. This report presents our assessment of capacity density values in the current pipeline of emerging U.S. offshore wind farms and a detailed list of the main factors that influence capacity density. This understanding is critical for planning of future lease areas, for estimating the technical resource potential for offshore wind on the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS), and for estimating ocean space requirements needed for meeting state and national goals for a carbon neutral energy transition.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; U.S. Department of Interior. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 2274825
• Report Number(s): NREL/TP--5000-86933; MainId:87708; UUID:a82c8d90-e37e-4592-b84c-25d2486314c7; MainAdminID:71406
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

17 WIND ENERGY
U.S. offshore wind capacity density
U.S. offshore wind projects
capacity density
lease areas
pipeline