DOE official says offshore deployment to increase, despite Paris Accord exit
US states will develop offshore wind farms at an increasing rate, despite federal government plans to withdraw from the Paris Accord on climate change, according to a US Department of Energy (DoE) official.
“States have a significant authority and autonomy when establishing energy policy and the dominoes have begun to tip,” said Jose Zayas, director of wind energy technologies at the DoE.
Zayas, who was speaking at the Offshore Wind Europe Conference 2017 in London today, singled out floating wind as having a key role in helping the US generate the extra 2400 terrawatt-hours of electricity predictions say it will require by 2050.
Continued innovation could see the cost of floating wind falls below fixed foundation projects in the medium term, Zayas said.
“Floating could hit $89 per megawatt-hour by 2030, while $93 per MWh is predicted for fixed foundation projects,” he added.