January 5, 2010 Tuesday
HEADLINE: Growth in offshore wind projects;
In the Blogs: Green Inc.
BYLINE: Sindya N. Bhanoo
FULL TEXT
A report published in December by Emerging Energy Research, a consulting firm that tracks emerging technologies in global energy markets, predicted that the offshore wind energy market would surge to $30 billion over the next decade from its current $10 billion.
The estimate was based on assessments of current projects, planned projects, and international interest in projects.
Offshore wind projects are considerably more costly to build than onshore wind farms and have been aggressively pursued in only a few countries - principally Britain and Denmark. But offshore wind installations were now cropping up across Europe, said Keith Hays, the research director of wind energy at Emerging Energy Research.
''Offshore is coming of age in Europe and is going to be a key part of the next generation of wind energy,'' Mr. Hays said. ''We're seeing projects in unlikelier countries - Germany and Belgium.''
The report predicts that in the next five years, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium will be prime markets. Then, from 2014 to 2020, the United States, China and Korea will follow.
''Europe's aggressiveness with renewable energy targets provides a lot of opportunity for European firms,'' he said. ''But we will see more and more demand in the U.S.''
In the United States, offshore wind energy will be embraced once policy makers realize how powerful it is, Mr. Hays said. A 500- to 1,000-megawatt project can support thousands of homes, Mr. Hays said.
Several weeks ago, at the United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen, Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City's mayor, showed interest.
''It's very impressive,'' Mr. Bloomberg told Green Inc. as he stood on an offshore rig in Denmark. ''It gives you a feeling for what it will be, I hope, off the Long Island shore.''
Mr. Bloomberg is hoping to encourage plans for a large-scale wind farm 13 miles, or 20 kilometers, off the shores of New York City in 2010.
LOAD-DATE: January 4, 2010
