Offshore wind
What is offshore wind?
Offshore wind energy (OWE) refers to the capturing of wind energy by turbines over a body of water, such as an ocean where winds are generally stronger and less turbulent than over land. OWE is a global industry that is relatively novel to the U.S., despite land-based wind farms existing across the U.S. for decades. Coastal regions of the mid-Atlantic U.S. have been identified as potential areas for OWE development, with some projects already operating or being constructed. Delaware’s role in OWE may vary depending on state and local involvement with projects off our coast.
The goal of Delaware Sea Grant is to provide objective information from the best-available science. Learn more about offshore wind energy by navigating through the topics below.
Introduction to Wind Energy
The U.S. produced over 400 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from wind energy in 2022, equating to more than 10% of the nation’s utility-scale electricity generation. The generation of energy by wind turbines that we know today is based on longstanding technologies.
Humans have used wind power for thousands of years as a means of energy, such as through traditional windmills. Modern wind turbines continue to advance in design and capacity to maximize the efficiency of wind farms, which has led to an increase in wind electricity generation in recent decades.
Offshore Wind and Delaware
There are OWE areas off the coast of Delaware in various stages of development. The Maryland Offshore Wind Project by developer US Wind has proposed a cable landfall at 3R’s Beach in Delaware Seashore State Park. A Term Sheet between the State of Delaware and US Wind identifies the terms of this potential agreement.
Discover more
Take a deep-dive into the workings of offshore wind at both the federal and state level and learn about policy, opportunities for public engagement, and more.
