The Biden Administration has targeted deploying 30 gigawatts of wind energy from off the nation’s coasts by 2030. Achieving this goal would mean supplying low-cost power to more than 10 million homes each year, while also avoiding 78 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
But harnessing wind off the nation’s coasts is still in its infancy. Wind energy developers must understand the complexities of the ocean environment before they invest in technologies. These complexities include how much the wind blows and in what directions; how wind flows in and around wind energy plants; and how the atmosphere and ocean interact with offshore wind turbines.