This blog is part of a series that explores offshore wind technical challenges that are different in the United States than in other countries.

Worldwide, 13,000 megawatts of offshore wind has been deployed —yet the U.S. only has one offshore wind farm.

For the last year, the Block Island Wind Farm has been operating off the coast of Rhode Island.

As the United States looks to deploy more offshore wind, several U.S. specific technical challenges will need to be overcome. This blog addresses challenges posed by deep waters (stay tuned for future blogs on other U.S. offshore wind topics such as hurricanes, vessels, and installation techniques).

The Consortium

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a funding opportunity to establish an offshore wind research and development (R&D) consortium. This consortium will bring together a diverse group of researchers who will add to the offshore knowledge base in an accelerated manner. It will include members of the offshore wind industry, who will contribute funds and expertise to the research results and validate technologies developed by the consortium.

The Challenge

One significant challenge to building offshore wind turbines in the United States is the depth of the waters along many coastal areas. While most European installations to date have occurred in shallow waters, most (roughly 60%) of our nation’s offshore wind resources are situated in deep waters — more than 60 meters down (or nearly 200 feet). This means traditional bottom-mounted foundations aren’t economically viable in these areas.

The Technology

So, how does the U.S. overcome this challenge? It may seem like something out of a science fiction story, but researchers and engineers are finding ways to create platforms that float, while giving the top-heavy turbine enough stability to operate effectively. Tethered to the sea floor, floating foundations allow wind turbines to operate in areas where water depths may be greater than 165 feet. Floating foundation technologies make offshore wind feasible in locations, including California (where nearly 95% of the available offshore wind resource has a depth greater than 60 meters), Hawaii, and Maine.