Offshore Wind Accelerator Project

Offshore wind presents one of the country’s most significant renewable energy resources. It has the potential to transform the Atlantic Coast energy portfolio, create a new clean energy industry sector, meet aggressive state renewable energy policy goals, and reduce carbon emissions and ocean acidification at a significant scale.

The Offshore Wind Accelerator Project (OWAP) has two main focuses: 1) work with states to help them in their efforts to advance offshore wind, and 2) engage in broad-ranging communication efforts about offshore wind news and developments.

Through OWAP, Clean Energy Group and Clean Energy States Alliance are engaged in several offshore wind activities, including:

• Managing the offshore wind component of the Northeast Wind Resource Center (NWRC). The NWRC works with northeast states to advance offshore wind policy through multi-state dialogue and information exchange with a European advisory board. It also serves the information needs of the region.
• Maintaining the NWRC’s Offshore Wind Hub, a website providing open access to documents related to offshore wind policy, technology, economics, and siting. The site contains up-to-date information for all Atlantic coast states from Maine to Maryland.
• Helping coordinate a project funded by the US Department of Energy to develop a roadmap for multi-state cooperation on offshore wind development. The major participants in the project are the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (grant recipient), the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, and the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources. For more info, click here.
• Working with individual States to assist with the development of strategic, long-term policies to advance offshore wind and develop a serious process to get offshore wind to scale in the U.S.
• Communicating ideas and policy developments between states and other stakeholders.
• Working with leading European and UK policy makers to learn about the more established experience with offshore wind in those countries, and sharing those lessons with U.S. energy policy makers.
• Releasing the OWAP Newsletter, featuring updates and success stories about policy, technology, and financing from the US and around the globe.

OWAP is funded in part by private foundations that understand the critical importance of tapping the U.S.’s offshore wind energy potential to achieve the country’s clean energy, energy security, carbon reduction, and job creation goals. The project is seeking additional funding to support its work.