Key Learnings That are Helping to Grow Offshore Wind
With commercial-scale projects now spinning off the East Coast, the U.S. offshore wind industry is officially up-and-running.
Such development will soon make its way to new regions, such as the Gulf of Mexico, where a well-established manufacturing industry has already been hard at work creating the vessels and components necessary to build offshore wind in the U.S.
Last year, the Biden Administration auctioned the first offshore wind development rights in the Gulf, as Louisiana set ambitious goals to obtain 5 GW of power from offshore wind. These steps help to signal that the Gulf is ready for offshore wind.
The region is in an ideal position to serve as the engine of the offshore wind supply chain. Leaning on decades of offshore oil and gas expertise, the Gulf of Mexico is providing the knowledge and assets to build offshore in the U.S.
According to statistics compiled by Oceantic Network, “23% of contracts in the U.S. market are going to Gulf firms and approximately $1 billion in investments are flowing to Gulf shipyards and fabrication yards.”(Source: UNLOCKING THE GULF OF MEXICO’S OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY POTENTIAL An Examination of Existing Supply Chain Capabilities and Challenges, August 2023.)
One company helping to drive innovative, offshore wind manufacturing is Gulf Wind Technology (GWT), a leading wind turbine rotor technology specialist. GWT delivers technology-based solutions spanning design, testing and implementation of wind turbines to improve turbine performance and reliability. The New Orleans-based company has also built the Shell Gulf Wind Accelerator (SGWA) to share and develop knowledge, technology, industry presence, and capabilities. The accelerator’s primary focus is to increase renewable energy competitiveness to solve industry challenges and maintain long term successful ventures in offshore wind energy.
We spoke with James Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Wind Technology (GWT) about what’s happening in his company’s backyard.
Oceantic Network: How would you describe the current climate for offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico?
James Martin: We believe this industry has a strong future. The Louisiana Gulf Coast holds some of the most effective and experienced industrial offshore energy infrastructure in the country, which is key to a safe, efficient, and scalable launch for an offshore wind market. This experience, knowledge, and infrastructure can provide the necessary expertise to build offshore wind.
The greatest challenge and opportunity are to figure out how to harness lower wind speeds amid powerful hurricanes that are frequenting the Gulf region. These challenges may impact the cost of capital and erode industry confidence but are also generating opportunities to develop new technologies. GWT is positioning itself to solve this key challenge by designing a suite of technologies to improve turbine yield and performance.
If you’re attending 2024 IPF in New Orleans, April 22-25, don’t miss Gulf Wind Technology’s Meg Lidrbauch, Senior Loads Engineer, and other industry experts discuss steps the industry is taking to design turbines that can withstand the force of major hurricanes.
Oceantic Network: What are the greatest needs for the industry in this region?
James Martin: The greatest need moving forward is to prioritize the stimulation of boundaryless collaboration programs that showcase what can be achieved with the right resources. Europe and the Northeastern U.S. are further ahead in their offshore wind development with some farms already producing electricity. Let’s work together to further fund technology development, generate step by step change, reduce risk, and scale best practices that lower offshore wind energy costs. We work in one of the most exciting industries. Collaborating to prioritize needs and structure is key to growing our industry.
Oceantic Network: What resources, tools, investments, or other steps do you feel would support the growth of offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico if taken today?
James Martin: The offshore wind industry is maturing and starting to recognize challenges and lessons learned from market-driven, rapid product iterations. GWT is deeply rooted in advanced manufacturing-led design philosophies such as Lean and Six Sigma, including part of the team’s prior experience in automotive and aerospace composites. These applications focus on improving efficiency, time management and customer satisfaction, while also reducing variance. As an industry we must adapt these processes for better and more cost-effective turbine manufacturing.
We are starting to witness more open engagement by leaders across the value chain to utilize current strategies for quality operations and efficiencies. One critical next step is to unleash these experts to drive a balance of innovation and risk reduction that create advanced products, technologies, and processes and move the industry forward.
Oceantic Network: Given offshore wind is only beginning to leave its mark in this region, what advice do you have for companies looking to get involved in the Gulf of Mexico?
James Martin: Offshore Wind is a game of “patient capital,” that will deliver over time. Engaging in the supply chain for both onshore and offshore wind is one of the critical entry points and one that Louisiana is doing well. The region has decades of experience running large energy infrastructure projects, including skilled employees and resources to solve problems associated with deploying and maintaining “steel in the water.” Any aspiring company looking to move into the industry will do well to engage with local firms and partner where appropriate.
About Shell Gulf Wind Technology Accelerator
GWT has strategically partnered with Shell New Energies US LLC (Shell) to create the Shell Gulf Wind Technology Accelerator program. The collaboration includes deployment of novel technologies to develop, test and implement the first suite of optimized technical solutions for a Gulf of Mexico-specific wind turbine. The Shell Gulf Wind Technology Accelerator will be a key enabler for wind in the region, combining research and development of new technologies with the Gulf’s first technology-focused education and training facility for workforce development aimed at accelerating the Gulf of Mexico offshore wind learning curve.
