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Beginning in the early 2000’s, US taxpayers devoted many millions of dollars to support new floating wind turbine technology, enabling many more gigawatts of clean power to be harvested from offshore sites. Too bad all that blood, sweat, and tears went to waste after US President Donald Trump blew up the domestic offshore wind industry upon retaking office last year. However, it’s a big world out there…
California Grabs The Floating Wind Ball Dropped By Trump
Oh the irony, it burns. Once upon a time, the global effort to develop new floating offshore wind turbine platforms was vigorously supported here in the US, steered by the Department of Energy with private sector partners. Some of those domestic partners — Principle Power is one leading example — have been plying their wares in overseas markets for lack of opportunities and supportive policies here in the US.
As for commercial-level prospects in the US, the waters of coastal California offer the low-hanging fruit. Much of the coast is too deep for the fixed-in-seabed monopiles used in conventional offshore wind farms. The solution is to set the turbines on floating platforms, which can be tethered to the seabed by slim cables (see more floating turbine background here).
