USA: DOE Studies Potential Offshore Wind’s Economic Impact on Southeast Region

On July 11, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a fact sheet that summarizes the findings of a study on potential economic impact of offshore wind energy on the Southeast Region.

To better understand the employment opportunities and other potential regional economic impacts from offshore wind development, the U.S. Department of Energy funded research that focuses on four regions of the country. The studies use multiple scenarios with various local job and domestic manufacturing content assumptions. Each regional study uses the new offshore wind Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) model, developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The Southeast Region is defined as Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.

The U.S. DOE Wind & Water Power Technologies Office provided funding to James Madison University and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to perform this work.

Under the tittle Potential Economic Impacts from Offshore Wind in the Southeast Region, the study considered five offshore wind development scenarios examining different levels of capacity installed, local supply chain investment, and construction/operation costs.

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Offshore WIND Staff, July 18, 2013; Image: Siemens