Oceantic Network

Walt Musial, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (S01 E04)

Types

Our topic for this episode is Technical Standards for Offshore Wind, and our guest is Walt Musial, Manager of Offshore Wind at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, or NREL. 

Walt was in Washington, D.C. recently to chair a meeting of the Offshore Wind Technical Advisory Panel, which is where we caught up for this interview. We begin by discussing how Walt and NREL first started getting involved in offshore wind, and then we get into the history of offshore wind technical standards. We discuss the need for U.S.-specific standards and offshore-specific standards. Walt shares his vision for the U.S. Offshore Wind Standards Initiative, describes the process that’s in place, and we close by discussing next steps and how people can get involved. 

Show references include: 

  • Offshore Compliance Recommended Practices (OCRP) 2012 
  • 2019 International Partnering Forum (IPF) 

Recorded October 17, 2018. Published October 18, 2018. 

Offshore wind projects are now under development along much of America’s East Coast, ranging from Maine to the Carolinas. The U.S. offshore wind industry has already seen investments exceeding $3.5 billion and the Network has tracked more than 500 supply chain contracts.

The U.S. offshore wind market is much larger than it currently appears. Collectively, East Coast states now aim to procure 32 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2035, while the Biden Administration has called for the deployment of 30 GW by 2030. As alluded to in the 2016 National Offshore Wind Strategy, in order to maximize the potential of the U.S. offshore wind market, state and federal policymakers – in collaboration with industry and other stakeholders – must accelerate their planning for large scale deployment of floating offshore wind installations.

State and federal policymakers continue the Biden Administration’s tremendous early progress on offshore wind by thinking now about the future implications and necessities of deploying floating offshore wind turbines. The U.S. offshore wind industry’s ongoing momentum can be maximized by establishing mechanisms to achieve the integrated, intergovernmental coordination, planning, and strategic decision-making that will enable: (1) the U.S. to have a floating offshore wind industry that is competitive on the global stage, and (2) for states to meet their full decarbonization commitments, which likely cannot be met without deploying substantial floating offshore wind generation capacity.

Download this Policy Briefing focused on the U.S. Opportunity in Floating Offshore Wind

California, the world’s fifth largest economy, has some of the best offshore wind resources in U.S. waters. The state’s ambitious climate legislation, SB-100, calls for 100 percent clean, carbon-free electricity by 2045. This creates an opportunity for floating offshore wind to contribute to California’s clean energy mix. California State Assembly member David Chiu joins host Brandon Burke to discuss California’s AB-525 OSW legislation and the opportunities it will provide the state. 

Credits:  

Content, audio engineering, editing, and sound design by Brandon Burke.   

Music by Brandon Burke with contributions from Nathan Ezzo, Steven Reilly, and Miles Taylor. 

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Offshore Wind Insider, the new podcast from  Oceantic Network. Our guest for this first episode is arguably the person most responsible for America’s first offshore wind farm: Jeff Grybowski, Chief Executive Officer of Deepwater Wind. 

In this interview, we cover how Jeff first got involved in the offshore wind industry, and what the experience was like launching a new US industry with the Block Island Wind Farm. Block Island was just the first step for Deepwater Wind. We review the company’s current project portfolio and look ahead. Jeff shares his thoughts on how he sees the industry evolving, from technology to public policy to the supply chain and cost. 

Recorded July 26, 2018. Published September 19, 2018. 

Join host Brandon Burke and guests Nse Esema (NYC EDC), Teaera Strum (Strum Contracting), and Damian Bednarz (EnBW North America) to discuss intersections between offshore wind, diversity, equity, inclusion, and environmental justice, through the lens of NYC’s South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and Sunset Park community. This episode also touches on what MWBEs and small businesses can do to position themselves to be ready to participate in the supply chains of U.S. OSW projects. 

Credits: 

Content, audio engineering, editing, and sound design by Brandon Burke. Music by Brandon Burke, with contributions from Nathan Ezzo, Steven Reilly, and Miles Taylor. 

My guest this episode is Lars Thaaning Pedersen, Chief Executive Officer of Vineyard Wind, soon to be the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind project. We begin our conversation with Lars and his background in the industry and with the company Vineyard Wind. We then devote most of our conversation to the Vineyard Wind project itself, its timeframe, where it stands in the permitting process, and some really interesting challenges it has faced and how it has addressed them. We close with a look at the economics of the offshore wind industry and some of the factors that affect it. Lars and I recorded this conversation at the end of May, 2019 – since that time the project has continued to progress through the permitting process and is anticipated to be only a couple of months away from starting construction. 

Recorded May 29, 2019. Published July 28, 2019. 

Sign up for updates

Contact Us

Oceantic Network
1340 Smith Avenue
Baltimore Maryland, 21209
CareersGet In Touch

Info For

Featured Events