Unlocking Offshore Wind Energy in the United States: Applying Lessons Learned from the United Kingdom and Denmark

In February 2011, the United States Department of Energy released a National Offshore Wind Strategy that set a goal of 54GW of energy generated from offshore wind projects by 2030. (DOE, 2011). Five years later, there are still no operational offshore wind installations in the United States. President Obama hosted the Summit on Offshore Wind in September, 2015 and directed the Bureau of Offshore Energy Management to establish an International Offshore Wind Regulators Forum with European Regulators. Both the United Kingdom and Denmark have become leaders in offshore wind energy, generating approximately 4,500MW and 1,300MW respectively (EWEA, 2015). This study analyzes and evaluates the permitting policies of the United States, United Kingdom, and Denmark to identify recommended changes to the U.S. policies for permitting offshore wind installations.