Actress Kate Walsh spent the weekend in Washington, DC, attending the White House Correspondents Dinner and lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the importance of offshore wind energy and federal tax credits to support it. 

“Offshore wind power is a no brainer and we have to do it. Europe’s been doing it for 20 years. China’s now in the race,” Walsh told Politico in a video interview. “It’s an amazing clean energy source. There are ways to build it quickly. It provides jobs and energy enough, if you fully develop it, to energize the country four times over.”

Walsh, who works to promote ocean policy issues with Oceana, spent a day of her visit meeting with members of Congress to urge long-term extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for wind energy, which expires at the end of this year if no action is taken.

“It’s better than a drill. It’s clean. And it keeps us independent,” Walsh said of offshore wind. “It’s not just for coastal states. It’s for the whole country. Oil is finite. Wind is infinite.”

When asked about people who complain about seeing wind turbines from shore, Walsh pointed out that offshore wind farms will be placed at least 12-15 miles offshore, so “you have to have really good eyesight” to find them noticeable.

Walsh also professed her love of offshore wind in a diary she kept for USA Today while in Washington for the weekend.

Thanks, Kate! Keep up the great advocacy work!

To coincide with Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introducing the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act in Congress today, Clean Energy States Alliance’s Offshore Wind Accelerator Project (OWAP) – along with the Center for American Progress (CAP), the Sierra Club, and the U.S. Offshore Wind Collaborative – released a jointly commissioned report that demonstrates how offshore wind can become cost competitive with electricity generated from natural gas by 2024, even without federal subsidies.

The analysis, titled A Learning Investment-based Analysis of the Economic Potential for Offshore Wind and conducted by the Brattle Group, also finds that building an American offshore wind industry would have minimal effect on ratepayers, a large majority of whom are willing to pay this slight increase for homegrown clean energy that creates jobs, protects public health, and leads to greater energy independence.

REGISTER TODAY (it’s free!) for a free webinar about this report: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/881946832

The first of its kind in analyzing the broader economic impact of developing an entire offshore wind industry, the Brattle Group report finds that the national average monthly rate increase for consumers would be between $0.25 to $2.08. Polls in New York, Maryland, and other states have shown that solid majorities of voters are willing to pay a couple dollars more every month to support local offshore wind projects.

To provide a conservative estimate of the economic effects, the Brattle Group analysis does not include any subsidies such as the production tax credit or investment tax credit, both of which apply to offshore wind energy.

We’re really excited about this report, and how it will help us advance our mission of getting steel in the water as soon as possible. Visit the CESA website to read the report and the accompanying briefing paper, Making the Economic Case for Offshore Wind, authored by CAP Director of Ocean Policy Michael Conathan.

This Thursday, January 31, join us for a discussion about the economics of U.S. offshore wind with Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware.

First-come, first-served RSVPs are free for those who can attend in person.

EVENT DETAILS

January 31, 2013
9:30am ET – 10:30am ET

Center for American Progress Action Fund
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005 

Seating is limited. RSVP recommended.

Click here to RSVP for this event

As we wind down 2012, everyone at the Offshore Wind Accelerator Project (OWAP) is thankful for the efforts of our partners. Despite facing challenges from industry foes, offshore wind is moving into 2013 with undeniable momentum.

Need proof? Here are a few recent developments:

• The Department of Energy announced it will fund seven offshore wind projects, including Fishermen’s Atlantic City Windfarm in New Jersey, technology demonstration projects in Connecticut and Maine, and two “twisted jacket” turbines off the coast of Virginia. These projects will be among the first “steel in the water,” so learn more about them – and the other grant-winning projects – on the DOE website.
   
• A coalition of leading environmental organizations and offshore wind developers agreed to a series of voluntary measures to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales while expediting responsible offshore wind development in the mid-Atlantic. This landmark agreement is an important step forward, recognizing that environmental protection and offshore wind energy development can go hand-in-hand.
   
• The Department of the Interior has announced the first-ever competitive sales on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for offshore wind energy. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will lease 277,550 acres in two wind energy areas, one off the coast of Virginia and another offshore Massachusetts and Rhode Island. These areas are expected to be able to support more than 4,000 megawatts of wind generation, enough electricity to power an estimated 1.4 million homes.

Meanwhile at OWAP, we have been busy building and sustaining a strong communications effort around offshore wind. This fall, OWAP’s communications team has produced and disseminated important reports about offshore wind’s special value to New England and the mid-Atlantic; the merits of aggregated procurement, including a blueprint for how to build buyers’ groups to purchase large amounts of offshore wind power; and cost-parity analyses with traditional forms of energy (coming soon). We have also partnered with the American Wind Energy Association to convene collaborative meetings and planning calls with key offshore wind stakeholders.

Meanwhile, our website and Facebook page continue to attract thousands of fans from across the country. We have used this following to support our partners’ vital efforts to streamline information, bust myths about wind energy, and fight back against industry attacks.

It’s been a great year. We’re looking forward to making 2013 even better.

What can state and federal leaders be doing to prevent future devastation from storms like Hurricane Sandy? Developing new sources of clean energy, including offshore wind, is a big part of the picture.

In a new blog post, Catherine Bowes at the National Wildlife Federation says that building storm walls and creating storm response plans simply is not enough:

In the aftermath of superstorm Sandy, it is more important than ever for Americans to rethink our energy choices. Devastating extreme weather events are becoming far too common, with tragic consequences being felt along the coastlines of New York and New Jersey, and in communities all across the country as droughts, wildfires, and storms become more intense and severe.

It has been refreshing to see our leaders – from President Obama to Governors Cuomo and Christie – connect the dots and acknowledge that climate change is fueling these more frequent and intense storms, but investing in sea walls and storm response plans is just not enough.

We need to aggressively cut carbon pollution and pursue clean, renewable sources of energy – including offshore wind – in order to protect future generations of people and wildlife from the dangers of climate change.

Check out the whole entry, including Catherine’s recent time spent in DC with a visiting German lawmaker and offshore wind advocate - on NWF’s Wildlife Promise blog.

Big news: Today, live-streaming for another half hour, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee is helping us launch our new report with Center for American Progress and The Center for the Next Generation: “Regional Energy, National Solutions.”

The new report responds to a recent vision laid out by the American Petroleum Institute, which suggested clean energy be put on the back burner in favor of aggressive oil and gas drilling, both on shore and off, and coal mining. In contrast, offshore wind is an ideal technology that could contribute substantially to the sustained, long-term energy demands of the Atlantic Coast states. Developing just 54 gigawatts of offshore wind in Atlantic waters would generate $200 billion in economic activity and create 43,000 permanent, well-paid technical jobs, in addition to displacing the annual output of 52 coal-fired power plants

The report comes at an important time. As voters contemplate who will occupy the White House and Congress in the years ahead, it’s important that the United States enact a long-term strategy to achieve climate stability, economic prosperity, and energy security by using the unique assets of each region of the country, and choosing smart places for investment in multiple forms of energy and fuel.

During his keynote address, Gov. Chafee gave a keynote address about the importance of collaborative efforts to advance clean energy across the country. Chafee then participated in a panel discussion with John Arensmeyer of the Small Business Majority and Anne Kelly of Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP).

“The key was that collaborative effort,” Chafee said of his state’s work planning for offshore wind. “We are very methodical in our approach to wind energy off our coasts. We know those finite [fossil fuel] resources will be going up in price at some point. So we in New England are looking at alternatives.”

This is why the work of the Offshore Wind Accelerator Project is so vital. By working together, we can create jobs, boost American energy independence, and expand America’s manufacturing sector with offshore wind.

The title of the National Wildlife Federation’s new report on offshore wind basically says it all: “The Turning Point for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy: Time for Action to Create Jobs, Reduce Pollution, Protect Wildlife & Secure America’s Energy Future.”

It does feel like we’re reaching a turning point, doesn’t it? Or, perhaps more accurate, a tipping point. It happened with solar energy. It’s happening now with electric vehicles. It’s coming soon for offshore wind: wind farms will be built, turbines will come online, people will see (and live) the economic and environmental benefits, and offshore wind will become mainstream, as it has been in parts of Europe for many years. 

Where is this new momentum coming from? A few recent indicators:

• This summer, Cape Wind announced its ready to open its operational headquarters. Meanwhile, it’s gotten a second approval from the FAA and Congressional candidate Joseph Kennedy III has endorsed the project - a far cry from his great uncle, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, who fought the project tooth and nail.
   
• What about the cost of wind energy? A just-released analysis of “aggregated procurement” by Clean Energy States Alliance found that buyers networks - in tandem with low-cost financing and use of the Investment Tax Credit - could lower the expected levelized cost of wind energy to $95 per megawatt. That means more affordable utility scale wind energy. Read the whole report here.
   
• According to the new NWF report, “America is closer than ever to bringing offshore wind energy ashore. Efforts are underway in 10 Atlantic Coast states, with over 2,000 square nautical miles of federal waters already designated for wind energy development off of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Environmental reviews finding no significant impacts have been completed, and leases are expected to be issued for some of these areas by the end of the year.”

That’s just a few.

These developments don’t mean the fight is over. Far from it: Uncertainly over the extension of the Production and Investment Tax Credits has affected investor confidence and choked development to a trickle. Deep-pocketed interest groups continue to assail the projects that are furthest along and closest to becoming American “firsts.” States are still patchworked in their degrees of support for offshore wind, and the lack of action is - sadly - often political, not based on the merits of the industry itself. 

These issues, among others, will be in play during next month’s AWEA Offshore Windpower Conference in Virginia Beach, VA. Despite the momentum that’s been gained, the industry and its supporters have much work to do. 

Let’s get to work. Because one way or the other, offshore wind is America’s next big thing.

One of the most common arguments against developing this country’s offshore wind resource is that it is too expensive. However, a new analysis by the Offshore Wind Accelerator Project shows that “aggregated procurement”—or purchases of large amounts of offshore wind energy by a buyers network—could substantially lower its costs.

The report, Collaborative Procurement of Offshore Wind Energy - A Buyers Network: Assessment of Merits and Approaches, examines how purchases by groups of creditworthy off-takers, in combination with low-cost financing and extension of key federal tax credits, could lower the levelized cost of energy for offshore wind to $95 per megawatt hour, on average. This would make offshore wind power highly competitive with other forms of electricity in the U.S.

So how does it work? By creating economies of scale, a buyers network—a consortium of creditworthy purchasers that could include utilities, state and federal agencies, large private commercial and/or institutional entities—would enter into long-term contracts with a developer for a project’s generation. By wielding more purchasing power than individual buyers, a network can spread fixed costs for things like transmission lines, lower construction costs, reduce risk, and reduce capital costs. The result, according to the report’s economic analysis, is cost-competitive offshore wind power.

Specifically, the report finds that “aggregated procurement” has the potential to reduce the expected levelized cost of energy—essentially, the constant price per unit of energy that will lead to an energy project investment to break even—by roughly $35 per megawatt hour. And if a buyers group uses low-cost debt in the form of taxable or tax-exempt bonds, the cost could be further reduced by as much as an additional $20 per megawatt hour.

Finally, if Congress reauthorizes the Investment Tax Credit — a key piece of federal policy — it could result in an additional $50 per megawatt hour reduction in offshore wind energy’s cost.

In short, the use of aggregated procurement could be a game changer for the U.S. offshore wind industry. Despite its enormous job creation potential, opponents often turn to simplistic arguments about its “high” costs. However, a buyers network could bring offshore wind energy costs down dramatically and provide developers, investors, and businesses the confidence to build this new clean energy sector.