Offshore Wind Power | Home

As part of UD's Center for Carbon-free Power Integration, we conduct research and teaching on offshore wind power. We are interdisciplinary, with a primary administrative home in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, but with strong links to the College of Engineering (Mechanical and Electrical Engineering), Center for Composite Materials, and others. This site describes our research, teaching, and public testimony, gives an introduction to some offshore wind concepts and tools, and describes the contracted Delaware offshore wind project.

Events and News

UD's interdisciplinary offshore wind program was recognized at an event attended by the Vice Presdient of the United States, the Secretary of Interior, the Governor of Delaware, Delaware's Congressional delegation, the President of the University, and other University and State officials (article).

The Federal visit was in conjunction with Secretary Salazar's announcement of the Minerals Management Service promulgation of rules for leasing Federal Waters for renewable energy development.

"Because of the history that the University of Delaware and [the state of] Delaware have with respect to wind power," Salazar said, "I expect that Delaware will be at the point of the spear in terms of making this new energy source a reality."

Last fall, the first offshore wind industry conference in the Americas was in Delaware, organized with the support of the University of Delaware: AWEA Offshore Wind Workshop, Sept 9-10, 2008, also NPR interviews from workshop by local NPR station WHYY (mp3 or transcript).

The trail to the Delaware offshore wind project was recounted in the New York Times Magazine, Wind-power Politics, starting with a UD student paper--by Dhanju, Whitaker and Burton, with contributions by Tollman and Jarvis--that launched the $1.6 billion Delaware project. From the article: "The moment I read that paper," the wind entrepreneur Peter Mandelstam recalled, "I knew in my gut where my next wind project would be."