Ramboll at IPF: US Is Ready for Floating Wind Technology

The offshore wind energy industry in the US is swelling off the East Coast. Although still in its infancy, the industry is expected to grow exponentially from its original 30 megawatts (MW) to more than 14 gigawatts (GW) in the next decade.

This year at IPF, the leading offshore wind technical conference in the US, Ramboll will demonstrate how the company’s innovative engineering and strategic planning expertise can help to fuel the industry’s momentum. Ramboll experts will highlight the Offshore Wind Strategic Plan currently in development for the state of New Jersey, which sets the ambitious goal of 3,500 MW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. On 10 April, Principal Consultant Richard Baldwin will sit on a panel focused solely on this project.

“The conference is a great opportunity to assess the state of the industry and engage with leaders in the field,” says Vice Director of Ramboll’s Global Wind Division Dr. Tim Fischer, who recently joined the Board of Directors for the Business Network for Offshore Wind, which hosts IPF.

Floating wind technology, which can bring the benefits of offshore wind energy to the US West Coast, will be another hot topic at the event. Ramboll, a leader in floating wind energy, will moderate a panel of industry experts on 10 April.

Floating wind has been commercialized recently in Europe – Hywind Scotland wind farm in the North Sea was the world’s first in 2009. Floating wind technology can unlock the great potential for energy generation in water that is too deep for fixed foundations, such as along the US West Coast where the continental shelf drops off dramatically, explains Managing Consultant Thomas Newcomb. Ramboll is a leader in designing floating wind structures that are anchored to the sea floor with cables.

Floating wind technology has implications for the offshore wind supply chain, since structures can be built at port and then towed into location,” Newcomb says. “One of the posters we’ll present looks at West Coast ports infrastructure capacity to support offshore floating wind in the US.”

An IPF platinum sponsor, Ramboll is also sponsoring the conference’s WindMatch program, a networking opportunity that offers one-on-one, half-hour meetings with other offshore wind businesses throughout the conference. Ramboll’s full participation appears below.

Breakfast briefings – Wednesday, 10 April

• Modeling the Future of Offshore Wind: New Jersey’s Roadmap for 1,100MWs to 3,500MWs – Rich Baldwin

• Floating Wind - Enabling Successful US Floating Wind Development – Tim Fischer

Educational workshop (Session II) – Wednesday, 10 April

• Integrating Offshore Wind and Large-scale Batteries for a Stable Electric Grid – Mohammad Mojdehi

Posters – Wednesday, 10 April

• US West Coast Offshore Wind Supply Chain – Assessing Ports to Support Floating Wind – Tim Fischer, Denis Matha, Thomas Newcomb

• Underwater Noise Assessment: Environmental Impact Assessment Process for Offshore Wind Projects – Kevin Warner, Christopher Maxon, Ditte Mikkelsen