DOE’s NREL Restricts Use of Powerful Turbines Amid Concerns Over Offshore Wind Project Delays and Costs.

The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has imposed an unusual restriction on developers in order to not use the most powerful turbines. The order reflects a critical juncture facing the offshore wind industry, which could provide three times the amount of electricity that the entire U.S. now generates. Developers are trying to make wind power inexpensive by installing increasingly large and powerful turbines aimed at improving efficiency, but federal officials and experts are warning that the models will take years to produce and could increase wind power costs. An August report by Wood Mackenzie, a global energy consulting firm, called the drive for larger wind turbines an “arms race” that could delay construction and set back wind goals worldwide. At least six planned offshore wind projects, including Atlantic Shores in New Jersey and Empire Wind off Long Island, will use turbines that can generate 14 or 15 MW, according to Vestas and Siemens Gamesa. The larger turbines are expected to be commercially available in the next year or two.