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Las Vegas, NV, Dec. 7, 2005 -- GE Energy, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has contributed to the development of "A Framework for Offshore Wind Energy Development in the United States."
The guide, drafted over the past year, addresses opportunities and challenges and offers recommendations for the responsible development of offshore wind energy potential in the United States.
"Tapping into offshore wind energy, a free fuel source that is not impacted by fluctuating prices or volatile fuel import schedules, can offer long-term competitive electricity costs," said Jim Lyons, a chief research engineer at GE Global Research.
An important area of focus for the framework is the vast offshore wind potential along the United States' Northeastern Continental Shelf, which extends more than 100 kilometers off the coast, in water depths of up to 50 meters. According to forecasts, this region alone could provide hundreds of gigawatts of electrical capacity to coastal cities from Boston to New Jersey, an area that carries one of the highest population densities, largest energy demands and highest energy prices in the country.
The framework sets the agenda for an Offshore Wind Collaborative (OWC), an organization that will focus initially on offshore wind energy development in the northeastern United States while also addressing key national policy questions regarding siting and regulation of offshore wind energy systems.
GE Energy also announced, as a result of two recent agreements, they will deliver approximately 500 megawatts of GE 1.5-megawatt wind turbines for projects planned by PPM Energy during 2006 and 2007. The recent agreements with PPM call for a total of 334 GE 1.5-megawatt units.
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