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Texas First U.S. State with Offshore Wind Energy

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"The U.S. can potentially generate over 4,150 GW from offshore wind."

The first offshore wind energy turbine in the U.S. will be installed off the Texas coast by the end of the year.

The 2.75-MW turbine is being installed near Galveston Island in the Gulf of Mexico. It is a precursor to the 300-MW Galveston Wind Project and the development of 3500 acres (1,416.4 hectares) already leased for Texas offshore wind operations.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the U.S. has the potential to generate over 4,150 GW of energy from offshore wind, which would fulfill four times the current energy demand through wind energy.

"Texas has many favorable conditions, such as its own transmission network and plant sites in a 10 mile zone off of its coast," said Jan Wiedemann, managing director of the German American Chamber of Commerce in Houston (Texas). "This area is governed by Texas state laws, making it unlike any other U.S. state since it does not need the approval of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

"This creates many opportunities for entering the ever growing wind industry The NREL also projects that Texas has the potential to generate 1.06 GW of energy within this 10 mile zone (25.9 square kilometer)," he added.

Not coincidentally, Houston is about to host the first-ever Texas Offshore Wind Energy Roundtable. The conference, and an affiliated forum on offshore wind law will be held 19-22 October. The four-day conference will evaluate the potential of Texas's offshore wind energy market and address the expected wind energy boom in the Gulf of Mexico.

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