The Department of Energy has issued a report stating that building an offshore wind industry in the Gulf of Mexico will require extensive transmission planning. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory report found that there is currently no existing analysis on how to connect offshore wind farms to onshore power lines in the region. The authors called for collaboration among states and grid operators to incorporate wind farms into long-term plans and for dialogue with coastal communities and oil companies. This report is the first of its kind to identify challenges for building offshore wind transmission lines in a region where the dominant energy sector is oil and gas.
Solar Dominates US Energy Capacity Growth
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has published data showing that solar accounted for over 75% of US electrical generating
