Offshore wind could meet entire US electricity demand

clipped from www.energyefficiencynews.com Offshore wind farms could exceed the entire electricity demand of the US, according to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “More than three-fourths of the nation’s electricity demand comes from coastal states and the wind potential off the coasts of the lower 48 states actually exceeds our entire U.S. electricity demand,” he told a recent meeting. Figures from a recent study by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) indicate that offshore wind turbines located in shallow waters (less than 30 m) off the coast of 28 of the lower 48 states could meet at least 20% of those regions’ electricity demand. Deeper waters, which are currently unfeasible to harness, could contribute around a further 1700 GW to meet remaining demand. In total, NREL identified more than 1000 GW of wind potential off the Atlantic coast and at least a further 900 GW off the Pacific Coast.