By Jim Efstathiou Jr., Jim Polson and Elise Young (Bloomberg) -- New Jersey lawmakers have revived a long-stalled plan to build a wind farm off the coast of Atlantic City. Both houses of the state Legislature approved a bill Thursday allowing the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to reconsider a 24-megawatt project by Fishermen’s Energy LLC that was rejected under … [Read more...]
The Biggest Problem for Offshore Wind in the United States Might Be the Ports
By Jim Efstathiou Jr. (Bloomberg) -- U.S. offshore wind developers have a space problem. Giant windmills with rotors that can stretch as high as 600 feet (180 meters) above the ocean’s surface will dwarf the existing port structure. Finding locations big enough to assemble the huge towers and turbines and handle ships that can deliver the hardware to offshore farms is the … [Read more...]
Fred. Olsen Windcarrier and Falcon Global Join Forces on U.S. Offshore Wind Installation
Falcon Global, a subsidiary of U.S.-based SEACOR Marine Holdings, and Fred. Olsen Windcarrier have announced they have reached a cooperation agreement to offer a "full spread" of offshore wind installation and feeder vessels for the United States offshore wind market. The Falcon Global fleet consists of one of the largest existing U.S.-flag and Jones Act compliant lift boats … [Read more...]
U.S. Wants to Make Its Own Massive Offshore Wind Turbines
By Jim Efstathiou Jr. (Bloomberg) -- With state officials eyeing $56 billion of wind farm projects off the American coastline, developers are worried the turbines will need to be stamped with a big "Made in the U.S.A." That’s because the U.S. doesn’t make any. Each structure is enormous -- almost half the height of the Empire State Building. Most all of them are … [Read more...]
Trump Shifts Tone on Climate Change, Environmentalists Scoff
By Joe Ryan (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump, who called climate change a hoax during his campaign and vowed to pull out of the Paris accord, now says global warming might be real after all. The Republican president-elect told the New York Times Tuesday that perhaps humans are to blame for the rising temperatures that are melting polar ice caps and have been linked to … [Read more...]