Wind turbine technology’s popularity and usage has increased dramatically over the last few years within the U.S. To kick the summer of 2022 off, the U.S. launched a new federal-state offshore wind partnership to increase American-made green energy.
On June 23rd, 2022, the White House met with 11 governors from the East Coast to launch this partnership with aims to accelerate the growing offshore wind industry.
The primary discussions from this early-summer meeting are as follows:
Launch the Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnerships
11 different states along the east coast will work together to create a strong U.S.-based supply chain for offshore wind energy, grow the workforce to maintain it, and address other important regional matters. These regional matters may include transmission and interconnection, fishing and other similar co-use issues, and other priorities for the partnership. This partnership is planned to extend to the West Coast and the Gulf of Mexico as offshore projects expand.
Leverage Different State and Federal cations to Bolster the U.S. Offshore Wind Supply Chains
For this discussion, the Biden Administration essentially endorsed a set of federal, state, and mutual commitments. These were aimed to expand elements of the supply chain, including manufacturing facilities for offshore wind components, port capabilities, logistics networks, progress tracking, future needs, and collaboration. In other words, commitments were made by the partnership to ensure organization with such large upcoming goals.
Advance the National Offshore Wind Supply Chain Roadmaps
A comprehensive roadmap is in the works, to be funded by the Department of Energy along with New York and Maryland. As part of this effort, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory released a report in March 2022 regarding supply chain needs including manufactured components, ports, and vessels to deploy 30 GW by 2030—that’s enough to light 10 million homes, support 77,000 jobs, and spur $12 billion per year in private investment in offshore wind projects.
Announce Priority Financing for Offshore Wind Vessels
Construction of offshore wind turbines requires specialized vessels for installation; projections from the National Offshore Wind Supply Chain Roadmap explain that the global vessel supply must increase to meet and speed up the process of this deployment. On June 23rd, the Department of Transportations’ Maritime Administration (MARAD) made an announcement which would essentially give applications for these vessels priority for review and funding as “Vessels of National Interest.” The program also assists the shipbuilding industry in the U.S. by providing support for shipyards to modernize their facilities, build retrofit vessels, and assist U.S. shipowners to cost-effectively obtain American-produced new vessels.
So… What Does This Mean for the Industry?
As we all could have noticed by now, the wind turbine industry is growing at a rapid pace. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers for wind turbine technicians are growing at a “much faster than average” pace. Employment of wind turbine technicians is projected to grow 68% between 2020 and 2030. There are projected to be about 1,400 yearly openings on average over the decade. With such strong federal and state support for growth, the wind turbine industry has been rapidly growing for years, and it is not expected to slow down any time soon.
If you are interested in starting our 6-month Wind Turbine Technician training program, please fill out the form on the side of this page. An enrollment Advisor will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the experience, the industry, and the potential outlook of a career in wind turbine technology.