Ramboll Environ has secured a contract to study untapped offshore wind energy potential within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, US.
The contract was awarded by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).
Ramboll will join a team on the study that includes Apex and other local engineering firms, the University of Massachusetts (Boston) Urban Harbors Institute and Tufts University.
According to an estimate by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the untapped potential of US offshore wind energy is more than 2000GW.
This almost double the nation’s electricity usage and yet the first offshore wind farm in the US was commissioned last year off the coast of Rhode Island.
The study, MassCEC Offshore Wind Ports & Infrastructure Assessment includes a series of tasks for evaluating underdeveloped waterfront sites in Massachusetts. These could be acquired and developed through private investment for both near-term and long-term offshore wind power generation.
Ramboll claims that the study could help in assessing a series of properties that can guide offshore wind developers, manufacturers and private investors in selecting sites to fabricate, manufacture, stage, deploy and service offshore wind components in Massachusetts and along the East Coast.
Ramboll project principal David Lis said: “This is an exciting opportunity, since it literally positions us on the ground floor of a potentially huge transformation within the US energy industry. Ramboll has been a key force in the offshore wind industry in the Nordics and across Europe, so the experience and expertise that we bring to this project and to the industry generally are invaluable.”
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is a publicly funded agency founded in 2009. It has been working on clean energy technologies, helping companies and local municipalities in adopting clean energy projects.
Image: Ramboll Environ to work with MassCEC on assessing offshore wind potential across US east coast. Photo: Courtesy of Ramboll Environ, Inc.