Offshore Wind: Can the United States Catch up with Europe?

The document highlights that Europe dominates the global offshore wind market, holding over 90% of installed capacity as of 2015, led by the United Kingdom, Germany, and Denmark. In contrast, the United States is in the early stages of development, with its first commercial farm at Block Island scheduled for late 2016. Despite this gap, the U.S. possesses significant potential, estimated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory at over 4,000 GW. The report details U.S. federal initiatives, including Department of Energy funding and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management leasing, and projects U.S. capacity to reach 22 GW by 2030. It also examines the economic benefits of offshore wind, such as higher job creation per megawatt compared to onshore wind and the 'sea breeze effect' that aligns power generation with peak demand.

• Europe is the global leader in offshore wind, possessing more than 90 percent of the world's total installed capacity. As of June 30, 2015, the European Union had 10,393.6 MW of capacity across 82 farms in 11 countries.
• The United Kingdom, Germany, and Denmark are the primary European market leaders. As of the first quarter of 2015, the UK had 5,017 MW, Germany had 2,760 MW, and Denmark had 1,271 MW.
• The United States has immense offshore wind potential, estimated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to be over 4,000 GW, which is enough to power the country four times over.
• The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) predicts the United States will reach 3 GW of offshore wind by 2020, 22 GW by 2030, and 86 GW by 2050.
• Offshore wind offers technical advantages over onshore wind, including stronger and more consistent winds, and a 'sea breeze effect' where winds pick up during hot weather, aligning production with peak electricity demand.
• Offshore wind is a significant driver of employment, creating more jobs per megawatt than onshore wind or fossil fuels. The European Wind Energy Agency estimates an additional 2,800 jobs per MW compared to onshore wind.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2016). Offshore Wind: Can the United States Catch up with Europe? https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_OffshoreWind_01.04.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Offshore Wind: Can the United States Catch up with Europe? 2016. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_OffshoreWind_01.04.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Offshore Wind: Can the United States Catch up with Europe? |date=January 2016 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_OffshoreWind_01.04.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2016offshore, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Offshore Wind: Can the United States Catch up with Europe?}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_OffshoreWind_01.04.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }